The Angel, The Beast and The Demon
by Loke Rosing
Summary: They had lost everything. They had grown used to their bodies being sore, feeling disgusting, being helpless. They had been taken from their paths, and were now lost. And even if saved, could they find their way once more? The only thing that they had were each other. *Read Note*
1. Chapter 1: Dreams

Summary: They had lost everything. They had grown used to their bodies being sore, feeling disgusting, being helpless. They had been taken from their paths, and were now lost. And even if saved, could they find their way once more? The only thing that they had were each other.

Notes: This story contains rape, violence and torture, so if you don't like things like that, close this tab.

So, this is a slave AU featuring Zoro, Luffy and Sanji. Luffy is 15, turning 16, Sanji is 17, turning 18, and Zoro is 18. This is before the Straw Hat Pirates are created, and they meet each other as slaves.

And, the last thing. I have dysgraphia, which means I can't spell for shit, and I'm not a native English speaker, so if there is any spelling or grammar mistakes I apologize before hand.

Oh, and if I owed One Piece Ace wouldn't be dead and Sabo wouldn't have had Amnesia, so yeah.

* * *

Tomorrow it would be two years. That's how long he's been here. One year of torture, of helplessness, of- of _that_. It's weird. It feels like it's been an eternity since he entered this hell, but at the same time he can still remember his old life perfectly. He remembers the smell of cooking, can still feel the pain of a kick in his stomach, hear the laughs of chefs. If he closes his eyes, it's like nothing has changed. But many things have changed. He has dirtied his hands. He has kissed a man. He's wanted to hit a woman. He's not sure if the old man would ever let him in under the roof of the Bartie ever again if he knew how much he's changed.

"Oi, dart-brow, are you still here?"

Sanji's eyes opened as he was snapped away from his thoughts. In the corner of his eye, he saw Zoro looking at him. Luffy was dozing in between them.

"Yeah" He would kill for a smoke right about now.

"Fuck. Thought that you'd finally kicked the bucket," Zoro rasped. "Got my hopes up and everything"

Sanji rolled his eyes. Usually he would reply with some witty comment, but today he felt held back by something. Probably the aching pain radiating in his lower back. Yeah, most likely that. Their so called "Master" had been in a very excited mood this evening, which was never a good thing. Usually he would have Sanji and Zoro as tops and Luffy's as the bottom, but tonight he had wanted Sanji to be both. A year ago Sanji would have fought until he couldn't stand before he would be in such a position, but, as he already established, many things have changed. He may have pride, but he still didn't want to die of endless torture because of it.

Sanji, tired after everything that happened today, tried to curl up under the covers to go to sleep, but stopped when pure agony seared through him. A whimper, a fucking whimper, escaped him before he could stop it. He didn't have time to even curse before Luffy jerked awake and turned to him with lightning speed.

The fifteen year old scanned Sanji's body for injuries, but finding nothing but the usual scratches and teeth marks, he stared into Sanji's eyes, tilting his head to the side with a worried look.

"Sanji?" His voice was raspy, quiet, nearly inaudible. He looked close to panic.

Sanji forced a smile.

"I'm fine, cookie. Go back to sleep." Yeah, that was a lie, but Luffy needed to sleep. Tomorrow would be more taxing than normal, especially for Luffy, and sleep is the only thing he, any of them, can do to prepare himself.

Luffy kept staring at him a little longer, before the worried look eased up just a tiny bit. He glanced behind him at Zoro giving him the same look as he'd just given Sanji.

"I'm fine, cap'"

Luffy nodded before he once again laid down, letting exhaustion take over him. Soon snores filled the small room. When he was sure Luffy was asleep, Zoro glared up at Sanji with an accusing look. Sanji gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"What?", Sanji hissed. "You weren't exactly gentle, you know"

"I didn't really have a choice," Zoro growled, clenching his fists. His eyes held both rage and helplessness, a look Sanji was too familiar with. He himself would have it when he would be forced to- to...

Sanji sighed as all the fight left him. It was true. The three of them had as much choice in this as food have of not going bad over time. They were the "Master's" toys, after all. They were there to do anything that rotten man wanted, and if that was gentle kissing or BDSM, they didn't have a say in the matter. The "Master" would enter the room, tell them what he wanted them to do, jerk off while he watched, and then leave when he was finished. If they went against him, they would be punished.

The punishments were different for the three of them. They had the punishment that would best suite them, for lack of better term.

Sanji would be chained to a chair and be starved. With food in front him. Just. Out. Of. Reach.

Luffy would be locked in a completely empty room for days on end, with no food, no light and no other people. Completely alone.

Zoro never told them what they would do to him, but every time he came back to their room, blood would be running down his thighs. Sanji and Luffy never commented on it.

The "Master" never touched them, and that was probably the only good thing in this hellhole. In his eyes, they were trash, and he would be forever tainted if he let his Godly hands touch their disgusting skin. Yeah, right. If someone was disgusting, it would be him.

"Sorry. I, I'm just tired," Sanji mumbled defeatedly. He really wanted a smoke.

"Yeah, me too," Zoro exhaled putting his head in his hands. They were slightly shaking.

Tomorrow would be a new day. A new day of torture, of pain, of agony, trying desperately not to give up hope, not letting go of their dreams. Plus, tomorrow was the "Master's" birthday, which meant being paraded around the city, covered in jewels and silk, while normal people bowed while watching with pity. Later there would be food and drink. Luffy, or "Angel" as their "Master" had named him, would be the star attraction, being forced to sit at the pig's feet while other world nobles cooed at him. All the while Zoro and Sanji would fight against the want to _rip those things apart. How_ _ **dare**_ _they touch Luffy? How_ _ **dare**_ _they?_

Sanji shakily exhaled. Why? Why do they have to live like this? What did they do that was so terrible that they deserve a punishment like this? What had he done? What had Zoro done? What had Luffy done? A sob escaped him. Why did he even-

"To be the greatest swordsman," Zoro murmured, cutting Sanji off. He stared at the man opposite of him with shock, tears running down his cheeks. When all of this started, when the three of them had been delivered two years ago as a birthday present for the "Master", they would do this every night before going to sleep. If just to give them a small boost of hope, a little more energy to keep on fighting. When did they stop? Why did they stop?

"To find All Blue," Sanji whispered, barely able to force it out. But, as he did, he felt how the knot inside of him loosened, how it was a bit easier to breath. Thinking of that ocean, the same one that he'd think of to calm down when he'd been forced to wear the iron mask, when he'd starved, when he'd have nightmares, calmed him down faster than anything else could.

"To become the Pirate King" The soft voice of their unofficial captain mumbled, startling them. Looking down at the small boy, they saw that he was awake, staring at them, a small smile on his lips. Luffy had been the one to start their little tradition. Before the spark in his eyes had dimmed, when their captain was full of fighting spirit and optimism, before their "Master" had done _that_ to him _,_ they remember Luffy smiling at them, telling them that he would be the Pirate King, that he, Sanji and Zoro would be pirates together, promising that he would protect them. And he had, and it had broken him.

"Didn't I tell you to go to sleep, cupcake?", Sanji smiled, letting his fingers comb through the boy's shoulder long hair.

Luffy stuck out his tongue in reply, before he reached out and pulled the two older boys to his side, letting the two curl up around him. Cuddled up together, warm and safe, the three sex slaves fell asleep, wishing for a better day tomorrow.

What they didn't know was that, for the first time since their imprisonment, their wish would be fulfilled.


	2. Chapter 2: Introducing Thatch

Zoro was so over this. The party had been going on for at least two hours now, and it didn't look like it was going to end any time soon. The music was too loud, the food smelled too incredible for his starving body, his feet were hurting, and if those _fucking nobles didn't stop petting Luffy's head_ , someone was going to die a _**very painful death tonight**_ _._ If only he had his swords, than these pigs would see what happens when you make Zoro mad. Who do they think they are, touching his captain as if he was a common dog? Why do they think they deserve to even breath the same air as him?

"Oi, shithead, calm the fuck down. If they see that you're glaring at them, you won't be the only one who gets punished," Dartbrow hissed. Zoro was this close to just punch the guy in his face and walk away. Probably to Luffy. He had been forced to sit at their "Master's" feet, away from Zoro and Sanji. Of course, they were only about 5 meters (≈16 feet) away, but he was still too far away from their captain's side for Zoro to feel calm.

"Fuck off," Zoro grumbled, shooting a glare at Sanji. If he couldn't punch him, this was the next best thing. He pretended to not see the exaggerated eye roll Sanji replied with.

His eyes looked around the room, stopping at the enormous metal box in the centre of everything. He suppressed a shiver. He remembered the last time he had seen a box like that. Of course, he'd been inside of it then. Two years ago, at a party exactly like this.

"Is, is that…?," Sanji whispered, his eyes staring at the box, no doubt drawing the same conclusion Zoro had.

"Yeah, I think so," Zoro replied. "Seems like we'll be getting company."

"Fuck."

Zoro had not been able to say it better himself.

* * *

Thatch had fucked up. Royally fucked up. Why do things like this always happen to him? Alright, he'd never been in this kind of situation before, but still. And really, it wasn't his fault! How was he supposed to know that the girl that he'd been hitting on had been a slave dealer? So what if Marco and Sabo had warned him about the island being famous for slave dealers. So what if Izo had told him not to talk to anybody. It's not like he would know!

Oh, who was he trying to fool? He'd fucked up, and there wasn't any more to it. Thatch took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to freak out, he needed to keep his focus if he was going to get out of here. Alright, what did he know for sure?

First, he's been a captive for about four days, which meant that Pops probably didn't know where he was. If he did Thatch would have already been out of here.

Second, he had been "sold", for lack of better words, yesterday. The woman who had bought him told him that she worked for a world noble, which was the worst case scenario for a slave. No, think positive! Thanks to nobles always living large, it would be easier for Pops to find him.

Third, they hadn't collared him, only shackled his ankles. It was still bomb shackles, so he wouldn't be able to run away without losing his legs, and even if he wouldn't die, he didn't want to lose his ability to walk. So escaping on his own was out of the question.

Forth, they shaved him, but more importantly, they had destroyed his hairdo. They had washed him, which had made his hair hang over his shoulders. Then they'd dressed him up with silk and then forced his hair into a braid that hung down his back. After that, they shaved him everywhere. And when he said everywhere, he meant everywhere. It had not been a good experience.

Fifth, they had put him in a metal box and moved him who knows where. The only source of light and sound came from a window, which was so small that he wouldn't be able to get his hand through.

Sixth, he could hear music and people talking to each other outside of his prison, so he probably was at some party. Which also meant that he couldn't make a scene. After all, if there are many nobles there are many guards.

And that was it. Thatch put his head in his hands, sighing. Fuck. Fuckity fuck. This was not good. Things looked bad. The only thing he could really do now was wai-

The rich sound of trumpets cut him off from his thoughts. The sound of talking and music died down, and when the trumpets stopped it was completely silent.

"Thank you all for coming to the young Masters party," a shrill voice of a woman, the same woman who had bought him, cut through the deathly silence. "Today, 36 years ago, the young Master was brought here from the heavens, and today we've been celebrating this miracle. As a gift from myself, I would like to give you this."

Light broke into the box, blinding him. Before he had time to understand what just had happened, someone took a hold of his arms and dragged him out from his prison. When he was out he was forced down on his knees on a cold marble floor.

As his eyes started to work again, he was met by a horrendous sight, a disgusting world noble. The noble was sweating heavily, drool running down his chin, his hair heavily waxed back and he was incredibly obese. Great, now he needs to get out of here for two reasons. To get back to his family, but also to puke. But that wasn't the only thing that made Thatch's stomach to revolt.

At the nobles feet sat a black haired boy, he seemed to be around 13 or 14. Just like Thatch, he was dressed up in silk and had his ankles shackled. However, he also wore jewels of every color and his face was covered in makeup. He looked like a pampered doll. What broke the illusion of perfection was that the boy was covered in bite marks, hickeys and handprints. He was, without a doubt, a sex slave. Thatch's hatred for the world nobles just increased by 143%.

"This specimen was handpicked by me," declared the woman, petting his head. Thatch had to stop himself not to bite her hand off. "It is very well defined and, as you can see, not bad on the eyes. It is not trained, as you like to train them yourself. I hope it will be to your satisfaction, my Lord."

The noble gestured for two guards to bring him forwards, dragging him over the floor until he was in front of the noble. He looked at Thatch with a critical eye, before making a happy sound.

"I like it. I've been looking for a new toy to add to my collection. It'll do," the noble approved. Thatch saw how the woman relaxed, before she bowed low.

"A perfect choice, my Lord," she praised.

The noble nodded, before gesturing to someone behind him. Two boys, maybe around 16 or 17, moved forwards. Thatch hadn't even noticed their presence. Just like the black haired boy they were covered in bite marks and hickeys. What really caught his attention were their looks. One of them had blond hair with bangs that covered half of his face. He also had swirly eyebrows. Very swirly eyebrows. The other boy had green hair that was combed back into a small ponytail, his green eyes never leaving Thatch's face. Who had naturally green hair?

It was weird, usually nobles wanted generic sex slaves, but these two stood out. And now that he thought about it, he could see that beneath all the black haired boys makeup, he had a scar beneath his left eye. His eye color was also a vibrant red. Seems like the noble liked different looking kind of slaves. Thatch did have two different colored eyes, maybe that was the reason he'd been selected?

"Take my toys to their room. And tell my new toy the rules"

"Of course, my lord." The woman bowed once more before turning and walking out of the room, the guards pulling Thatch with her. Thatch looked over his shoulder and saw how the blond boy lifted up the black haired boy into his arms, bridal style, before the three of them followed them out.

* * *

Luffy gripped Sanji and Zoro's hands in a tight grip. He was seated in between them on their bed, and in front of them was the _man_. The lady had just left them after she'd told the new _man_ the rules - _Do as the Master says. Don't speak back. Don't look at Master. Don't talk in the Master's presence. Keep your hands behind your back. Don't cry if the Master hasn't commanded it-_ and now they were supposed to 'bond', but Luffy didn't want that. Luffy was tired. Luffy was hungry. Luffy wanted to cuddle up to his Nakama and sleep, but this _man_ had destroyed it.

The man was looking at them with a weird look. He seemed sad, but at the same time angry. _Pity_. Luffy didn't like it when people gave him that look. The man cleared his throat.

"Hello, my names is Thatch," the man, Thatch, told them. "What are yours?" He didn't answer. After all, this man was an outsider, and the only thing outsiders did was hurt him and his Nakama. The Lady had taught him that. He could only trust Zoro and Sanji. Thatch sighed, the look of pity never leaving his face. "I know that you've been through a lot, and I'm sorry that this happened to yo-"

Zoro flew up and before Thatch could finish his sentence Zoro had shut his hand around Thatch's throat, strangling him. Luffy couldn't help the whimper that escaped him. He didn't like it when Zoro was mad. Zoro would never ever hurt him, of course, but he only got mad when things were about to hurt them. Sanji hugged him tight, murmuring comforts.

"Finish that sentence, and I'll finish you," Zoro growled with his teeth bared, looking like a wild beast ready to pounce. The name Master gave him really suits him.

Thatch eyes narrowed, and before anyone could react, he stood up, took hold of Zoro's arm in a crushing grip, forcing Zoro to let go of his throat, and then pushed Zoro into the bed once more. Sanji stood up, ready to defend, S _anji would always protect him_ , but stopped as Thatch put his hands up open palmed.

"Easy there," Thatch said calmly, ignoring the shock radiating from the boys. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. I'm sorry I made it sound that way. We are all in the same boat here, and being enemies won't help us in any way."

Sanji and Zoro watched the man. Luffy could feel his Nakamas unease, and understood why they felt that way. This is the first time in two years someone talked softly to them, talking like Luffy, Sanji and Zoro weren't disgusting, weren't broken. The only time people did that was under a punishment or when the Lady would use her ability on them, and they only did that to lure them to think they were safe. But when Luffy looked at Thatch, he didn't feel anything like that. No blood lust. No intent to hurt them. Something inside of him was telling him that this man was alright.

Making his decision he stood up on shaky legs. Zoro and Sanji were immediately by his side to support him, but Luffy waved them off. He was the captain, he couldn't always depend on Sanji and Zoro to support him. He stood in front of the man, but not staring into his eyes. A small part of him was screaming to do it, to look into this man's eyes, but a bigger part knew that that would only cause pain. The _man_ seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"Angel," he said gently.

Thatch face morphed into one of surprise, before understanding replaced it. In a soft voice he said, "Is, is that your name?"

Luffy nodded, smiling softly. He could feel Sanji and Zoro's confusion, but also acceptance. Luffy was the captain after all. What he says, goes. Zoro stepped to his side.

"Beast," he rumbled, still trying to look intimidating.

Sanji sighed, shaking his head, before he as well stepped forwards.

"Demon," he rasped.

Thatch looked at them with a mix of sadness and confusion. At least it was better than pity.

"Those are not your real names, are they?", Thatch asked.

Luffy shook his head, the smile still on his face.

"But it's the only ones you'll give me, right?"

Luffy nodded, still not letting the smile drop.

"Guess you'll tell me in time," sighed Thatch, shaking his head. He was smiling a little though.

Thatch seemed to want to say something else, but an enormous explosion that shook the entire room, and probably the entire mansion, cut him off. Luffy lost his balance and started to fall towards the ground. Sanji and Zoro immediately took hold of him, half holding half carrying, both with worry oozing around them. Thatch however, had a big smile in his face.

"Took you long enough, Pops."


	3. Chapter 3: The Lady

***THIS CHAPTER HAS SEXUAL ABUSE***

* * *

Marco punched the man in front of him, sending them into a wall with a sickening crunch, but Marco didn't pay it any mind. The only thing running through his mind was saving his little brother.

5 days. 5 days had Thatch been gone. He'd been _sold_ 2 days ago, if their intell had been correct. What had happened over those two days, Marco didn't want to even think about. The keys to the bomb shackles weighed heavily in his pocket. Another guard got pushed out of his way, and met his end at Ace's flaming fist. He, Ace and Izou were running down a corridor, following Thatch's Vivre card. Pops, Haruta and Sabo had gone after the nobles, much to Sabo's happiness, and the rest of his brothers and sisters had gone to free the other slaves.

Guards were at every turn, and even if they were weak, they were still a hindrance. They never seemed to end. When they took one out, ten took their place, and he didn't have time to take care of these small fries, he needed to get to his brother. What if Thatch was being tortured this very moment? What if he hadn't eaten? What if- No, Marco couldn't think like that. Thatch would be alright.

"Now we have you, rotten pirates," barked a guard. Marco would roll his eyes, if he was in the mood, but right now he simply wanted to destroy anyone who got in his path. Just as he was about to send a kick towards the guard, the guard was put on fire. Marco turned his gaze towards Ace.

"Me and Izou we'll take care of these weaklings, you focus on finding Thatch," Ace grinned. Marco nodded, giving his brother a small smile.

"Go back to the ship when you're done, yoi."

After getting a nod from his brothers, he looked were the vivre card was moving towards, and raced forwards.

"Shh, blueberry pie. It's alright. We're here, don't worry," Sanji tried comforting the shaking boy in his arms. This was not good, if this continued Luffy would go into panic mode, and if that happened, the castle falling apart wouldn't be their only problem.

Zoro was glaring at the _man,_ or 'Thatch' as he had introduced himself as. He had pushed Thatch up against the door, glaring daggers at the man.

"What in the holy hell is going on, Braidy? What the fuck do you mean with 'Pops',"

Zoro growled, making Luffy whimper and cling to Sanji even more. When all of this was over Sanji was going to kick that bastard so hard between the legs that he would never be able to have offspring. Really, he would be doing the world a favor.

"Oi, don't call me that! I'll have you know that my hair is the most taken care of hair on this side of the grand line!", Thatch screamed back.

"Who gives a flying fuck about that?! Just answer my goddamn question!", Zoro demanded, eyes glowing with rage.

"My family is coming to get me, they're the ones wrecking the place."

Sanji nearly laughed. His family? Did he seriously believe that? How big of a moron was this guy? The chance of his family coming to save him was non-existent! No one would ever break into a noble's home, and if they were so stupid to actually try, they would be dead within a minute. Hell, this guy even looked proud. How could he be proud of his family dying? Zoro seemed to share his opinion.

"So your 'family' is comin', huh? Why didn't you just say that?! Let's pack our bags and leave," he sneered. "Oh, wait! We can't do that because we'll be dead before we even leave the room! Your family are probably already six feet under!"

Everything that was left of Thatch's happy demeanor disappeared, being replaced by rage. He stepped towards Zoro, taking a hold of the silk around his chest.

"Listen, you little brat," he hissed. "I don't care what you say about me, but don't talk shit about my family!"

Luffy shaking worsened, and Sanji felt how his energy started to decrease. If Zoro and Thatch continued, they would all be done for. He needed to stop this, and he needed to do it now.

"Stop it!", He demanded, keeping his voice quiet as to not hurt Luffy. "We don't have time for this! Whatever is happening right now, the mansion is going down either way. And I don't want to worry about both that and you two morons fighting each other!" As he was talking, he gave Zoro a _stare_ before looking down at Luffy and up again. Zoro's eyes filled with understanding.

"As much as I hate to say it, he's right." Zoro turned towards Thatch, glaring at him. "Let's finish this when we're safe."

"You're right." He turned towards Sanji and Luffy "I'm sorry if I scared Angel," Thatch said, nodding towards Sanji. Luffy looked up, staring at Thatch with a small pout.

"'m not scared," he mumbled.

Sanji was about to agree with Luffy, to calm him down, of course, but he wasn't even able to open his mouth before Luffy flew up from Sanji's grasp. He looked around the room with a worried look, before his eyes stopped at the door. His eyes widened.

"Oi, Angel wh-," before he was able to finish his sentence Luffy sprinted forwards, taking hold of Zoro's and Thatch's arms, pulling them away from the door. Just as he had pushed them out of the way, the door was kicked open.

Sanji flew up from the bed, ready to attack if needed be, and Zoro grabbed Luffy and pushed him behind him. Where the door once had been was now a man. He had blond hair in a weird hairdo. It looked a little like a pineapple. On his chest was the same tattoo Thatch had.

"Thatch!", The pineapple man grinned, which Thatch happily returned.

"Marco! Took you long enough!" Thatch ran forwards, hugging Marco tight. "You have no idé how happy I am to see you!" Marco's smile widened, but it disappeared when his gaze found the bruises around Thatch's neck.

"What happened, yoi?", his voice was quiet, cold, full of rage. Thatch simply smiled, waving the man off.

"It's nothing, I just got in a small accident."

"That doesn't look like a small accident," Marco murmured, but he the rage had died down.

As the two men talked to each other Sanji moved to Luffy's side. Luffy's panic seemed to have died down, but he was still shaking a bit, his knees not strong enough to carry him after years of abuse. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"'m fine," he whispered, but the waver in his voice showing that he was anything but.

Sanji was about to argue, but he was interrupted.

"Who are they, yoi?", the man asked Thatch, staring at them. He most have heard Luffy. Zoro, seeing that the new man's attention were entirely on them, made sure that he was in between the men and Luffy. The marimo hybrid may be an idiot, but sometimes he could keep his priorities straight.

"This is Angel, Beast and Demon. Boys, this is my brother, Marco" Thatch introduced.

Sanji's eyes widened as pure fury enveloped him. How, how dared he?! Who did he think he was just giving this man their "names" without even asking if it was okay? Luffy had, for the first time since Sanji had met him, clearly misjudged someone.

Marco shoots his brother a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure that those are their names?"

"Well, it's the only thing they'll tell me," Thatch chuckled.

Yes, Luffy had clearly misjudged this man.

Thatch stared at the three boys, surprised by the rage from two of them, and the betrayal from the youngest. He took a step forwards, only for Beast to take a step back and making sure the two behind him did the same. He opens his mouth to ask what was wrong, but a big explosion cut him off. He looked back at Marco, question clear on his face.

"Pops wanted this place destroyed," he shrugged. "They hurt one of his sons, what did you think would happen? Oh, about that, we should probably get out before the roof comes down."

Marco took out a key from his pocket, before going down on his knees and opening the shackles around Thatch's ankles. The pure rush of freedom nearly knocked him back a few paces. The shackles may not have been surpresing anything physical, but it still had felt soul crushing to be chalked like an animal.

"Marco, I could kiss you right now!"

"Don't even think about it," Marco grumbled, standing up and brushing off some imaginary dust from his shorts. When he was done, he started to walk towards the boys, only to be growled at by Beast.

"Don't come any closer," Demon hissed, hugging Angel close to him as he glared at Marco. Marco raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Listen kid, we need to get out of here, or we'll die. Let me unshackle you, and then let's get going," Marco told the three boys, but instead of agreeing, they kept glaring at them.

Beast puts his hand out. "Give them to me," he grumbled. Marco, not wanting to make a big deal out of nothing, simply tossed the keys to the boy. Beast, giving them one last glare, turned around opening Angel's, Demon's and his own chakles. He turned once more towards them, waiting.

Thatch cleared his throat, turning towards Marco. "Let's go then."

He was running down the corridors of the mansion, Luffy between him and Sanji. All around them were guards knocked out. In front of them were the pineapple man and Thatch. Marco had told them that he and his 'family' had a ship at the docks, and that they would be allowed to travel with them. Of course, Zoro had wanted to protest, but after Luffy had agreed, he'd swallowed his protest. Luffy had already come close to go into panic mode, and that was something they couldn't risk happening again.

"So, everyone is here? Just for little 'ol me?", Thatch asked Marco, smiling at his brother. And that was another thing. Thatch actually had a crazy big family that had come to his aid. Right now they were destroying the place. Tearing it up, destroying everything and everyone in it, all because Thatch had been hurt. Zoro had to be honest, he was a bit jealous.

"That's right, yoi. I was against it, of course, but Pops had made his decision," Marco answered, shrugging his shoulders, faking a sad face.

"You were worried about me, admit it," Thatch grinned, his laughter echoing around the corridor. Fuck, couldn't he be quiet? For all they knew, an admiral had already arrived and was looking for them right now to kill them. Maybe Thatch should just start screaming his location, while he was at it.

Soon they entered one of the great halls, usually the one that they would have smaller parties in, and were met with a gruesome sight. Everywhere were bodies, sliced up and burned. Once upon a time, Zoro would have been sickened, but after everything that had been done to them and Luffy, he couldn't help but feel satisfied.

"Seems like they've already left," Thatch mumbled, looking around the room. His gaze stopped suddenly, a small gasp left him.

"Well, would you look at that." No, not now. They were so close! "Did the broken toys thought that they could leave their doll house?" Luffy whimpered, clinging to Sanji. "How stupid."

They turned towards the voice, and were met with a sight that were even worse than the bodies around them. The Lady. She was smiling at them, eyes crazed, hands shaking, blood splattered over her clothing. Marco's attention shifted to the woman.

"Who are you?", he asked. The Lady giggled, before she started to laugh maniacally, like what Maro just had said was hilarious.

"Marco, that's her. She was the one who bought me," Thatch told his brother, looking a bit worried.

"That's right! I am the Lady. _I_ am the one that train you _worthless beings_ in the name of the young Master! And now, you've _**destroyed**_ it!" She was screaming now, mad with rage. "I had _**EVERYTHING**_ , as long as I trained worthless things like you, I got _**EVERYTHING**_ I wanted, and now the Master is _dead_ because of _**you**_!" Marco stepped forwards, rage clearly visible on his face. The Lady just laughed. "Oh please, like you'll be able to defeat _me_!"

She raised her hand, pointing her ring finger towards Marco and Thatch. Zoro felt shivers run down his back. He may not like these two, but no one deserves to go through _that._

" _ **Akuma Akuma beam!**_ " She screamed madly, a dark beam emerging from her finger, traveling towards the two men. The two were able to dodge, and when Zoro looked up, the beam was in front of him, and he wouldn't be able to dodge.

"Luffy!", Zoro turned at Sanji scream and saw Luffy running towards him, pushing him aside before the Lady's ability can hit him. Zoro fell on the floor, and when he looked up, he saw Luffy being thrown back by the force of the beam hitting him.

Luffy's screams echoes around the chamber before he even hits the ground.

When Luffy opened his eyes, he was met by a white landscape. Everywhere he looked, just white. Where was he? Where was everybody? The last thing he remembered was pushing somebody out of the way. But, why? He can't remember. He stood up, dusting off his shorts. He grasp after his hat, only noticing that it wasn't there.

"Hello? Someone there?", He asked the void. Not getting an answer, he started looking for his hat. After all, he couldn't lose it. How was he supposed to keep his promise to Shanks if that happened?

"Luffy?"

Luffy turned around, and happiness surged through him.

"Ace, Sabo!", He cheered, running towards them. Ace and Sabo broke into smiles. opening their arms for him. He hugged them tight, laughing. He didn't know why he felt so happy and relieved, but he wouldn't complain! He let go, looking at his brothers. "What are you guys doing here?"

Sabo and Ace smiled, stroking their little brother's cheeks. "Well, isn't that obvious, Lu?" Their hands traveling down to his neck, and then they closed around him, strangling him. "We're here to punish you."

Fear wrapped it's disgusting claws around him as he looked up at his smiling brothers. The world around them turned a dark red and a disgusting smell filled his nose. He pushed off the two older boys, falling onto the ground. It was soft, sticky, trapping him. He couldn't get up. Ace and Sabo laughed.

"Look, brother. The whore is scared," Sabo giggled, walking towards him. Ace bent forwards, staring into Luffy's eyes.

"What's wrong, slut? I thought you would open your legs for anyone," Ace beamed, softly stroking his cheek. Their eyes looked hungry, but for what, Luffy didn't know. Luffy tried to get away, but the ground wouldn't let go of his arms and legs.

"N-no, St-stop" Luffy stuttered. He had never felt such horror before.

 **Sexual abuse warning**

Sabo crouched beside him, still giggling as he took hold Luffy's face in one of his hands. He opened his mouth and licked his cheek. Luffy couldn't move, he was too terrified. Why were his brothers doing this to him? Why are they trying to hurt him? Didn't they love him?

"Oh, but we do, Lu," Ace purred, kissing his neck. "We love you so much. We'll never let you go."

Ace pushed him down onto the ground, and he felt how it enveloped him. It was so cold. Panic roared inside of him.

"Stop! _Please_!", he pleaded, tears running down his cheeks. Ace moaned, before he sat down on Luffy thighs.

"You're so pretty when you beg, harlot," Sabo groaned, touching himself between his legs.

"You can't get enough of it, can you?", Ace moaned, grinding down on his thighs.

Ace started to open his vest and twist his nipples, and Sabo was biting his neck and - _stop!_ _ **Make it stop, please! Don't touch me! Don't!**_

 **Sexual abuse end**

" _ **LEAVE ME ALONE!**_ "

All of his panic, all of his fear, broke away from him, and suddenly Ace and Sabo were gone. Instead of being surrounded by cold, he was enveloped by warmth. Someone was whispering softly to him. Luffy was shaking, tears streaming down his cheeks. He'd never felt so dirty, never felt so disgusting, so broken. That couldn't have been his brothers, it couldn't. But then he remembered. This had happened before, so many times. How could something that has happened over and over and over again be a lie?

" _-sugar cube, breath with me. Me and Marimo got you, you're saf-_ "

" _-here ,captain. It's alright. Nothing is hurting you. We're here-_ "

Where were those voices coming from? Wait, marimo? Sanji always called Zoro… How could he have forgotten? He opened his eyes, looking up. He was in Zoro and Sanji's arms, he was safe, _they would always protect him_. Both of them were shaking, they looked like they barely had any energy left.

"Sanji? Zoro?", he whispered, looking at the two boys looking down on him. Smiles appeared on their faces as they saw their captain was back to reality.

"Luffy," Sanji breathed, barely audible. Zoro's smile turned into a big revealed grin.

"What the fuck just happened?", Someone, no, _Thatch_ , asked. Luffy looked up from the protective circle his Nakama had made around him, staring at the two men. Just like Zoro and Sanji it looked like they didn't have much energy left, their legs shaking as they tried to stand up from the floor. How had they gotten on the floor? He looked around the room and saw the Lady passed out on the floor. What had happened?

"We, we don't know," Zoro stammered, and that was not right. Zoro never stammered, he was always confident when he talked.

"That was Haki, yoi" Marco marveled. "Conqueror's Haki."

Thatch snapped his gaze towards Marco. "Are, are you sure?"

"What else could it be? It has to be it, yoi." Marco looked at Zoro. "Beast, you said this has happened before, when was the first time, yoi?"

' _ **No, stop. I thought I could take it, but I can't! PLEASE. STOP!'**_

Luffy started to shake harder as the memory echoed in his mind.

"We don't have to tell you anything," Zoro growled, tightening his grip on Luffy.

Marco nodded in understanding. "It's alright, yoi." Marco turned towards Thatch. "But one thing we can be sure of is that he's a Haki user,"

"Now that I think about it, Angel pushed me and Beast away before you kicked the door down, like he knew it would happen," Thatch told Marco.

"Both Conqueror's and Observation, yoi," Marco mumbled perplexed.

Luffy felt the frustration Sanji and Zoro were feeling heightening. He didn't have the energy to try to calm them down, so he simply let them do what they wanted.

"What do you mean "Haki"? What the hell is that?", Zoro hissed.

"There's a name for it?", Sanji mumbled surprised.

Marco nodded. "I'll tell you all about it, but we don't have the time right now. We have to get out of here, now."

Zoro and Sanji nodded, hugged Luffy one last time, before helping him stand up. Really, he didn't know why he felt so tired all of a sudden.

"Well then let's get-"

A door slammed open, cutting Thatch off. They turned towards the opening, and Luffy's heart froze. No, _please, no_.

"Ace, what are you doing here, yoi? Didn't I tell you to go back to the ship when you were done with the guards, yoi?"

 **No, not** _**again.**_

"Heh, sorry Marco. Sabo was worried, and he forced me to go back and fetch you two. You know how he can be."

" _ **What's wrong, slut? I thought you would open your legs for anyone."**_

"Yeah, sorry we got a bit hindered."

" _ **You can't get enough of it, can you?"**_

"Who are your friends? Holy shit, are you alright? What happened to you guys?"

" _ **Oh, but we do, Lu. We love you so much. We'll**_ **never** _**let you go."**_

"L-Luffy?"

Luffy screamed.


	4. Chapter 4: Little Brother

He should not be here.

That was the only thing in Ace's mind at that moment. Like a broken Transponder Snail, over and over. He should be training his ass off on Goa. He should be getting lessons by Makino. He should be beaten around be Gramps. He should be hanging around with Dadan and her bandits. He should be safe.

 _He should not be here._

Because his little brother had never done anything wrong. He didn't deserve this kind of punishment. His little brother was the one that couldn't throw a punch. He was the crybaby that would rather be tortured then giving up a friend's secret. He was the one that would steal Ace's food right beneath his nose, and Ace would let him because he knew that his little brother needed more food than others.

 _ **He should not be here.**_

And he didn't look like that. His little brothers hair was short, curving around his ears. His little brother wasn't that thin. His little brother always wore his Straw hat. His little brother's eyes were full of life and naivety. But this boy's hair hung over his shoulders. He could see this boy's bones, skin stretched tight. This boy didn't have a Straw hat, only silk and makeup. This boys eyes looked dead, with only a meager glow of life in them. But it _was_ him. It was his _little brother._

 _ **HE SHOULD NOT BE HERE.**_

And as he looked at his little brother, crying, screaming, trying to get away from Ace, something inside of him broke. His eyes did not leave his little brothers shaking form, he simply become flames. The only one that he cared for in that moment was his brother.

He walked forwards, letting his fire run wild around him. He saw how his brother sobbing worsened, how his eyes become more and more fearful. Why was he scared? _What had they done to him?_ Anger fueled his flames, burning the mansion down, burning the corpses and the few people that hadn't died yet. Their scream echoed around the mansion, and Ace would lie if he didn't feel happy over that.

He let his fire embrace Luffy, making sure that nothing hurt him. He needed to make sure Luffy was protected, and everyone that tried to take him away would be _**destroyed.**_

Someone was trying to come towards him, but Ace ignored them. His flames would make them go away before they could get to Luffy, before they would _hurt_ _him_. It was useless to try work against his flam-

Pain erupted from the back of his head, and everything turned black.

* * *

Marco was conflicted, which was unusual. Marco was old, probably the oldest on the ship, thanks to his devil fruit, and with such a long life, he was good at making sure his thoughts didn't clash. But, it was comforting that he wasn't the only one being conflicted, the whole _crew_ seemed to share his feelings.

Marco sighed, massaging his temples. He still wasn't sure what had happened, and he wasn't really sure he wanted to know.

He had never seen Ace react in such a way. Sure, Ace would sometimes become angry, and he had without a doubt seen that the boy had a problem with rage, after all the murder attempts on Pops, but _this?_ This was completely different.

It all started when Ace had seen the boys. He had seen their wounds and had immediately started to walk towards them, probably wanting to see the extent of their injuries, and see if there had been anything he could have helped with. But, before he had reached them, he had stopped, became completely still. Marco hadn't seen his face, but by the reactions of Demon and Beast, it probably didn't look pleasant. Thatch had taken a few steps forwards, probably wanting to pull Ace away from the boys. Marco had stopped him, and in retrospect Marco was very grateful he had.

Ace hadn't noticed Thatch advances, only staring at the boys. No, only one of the boys. Angel.

Marco remembers that Ace had said something just before everything had gone to hell, but he hadn't heard it. It had sounded like _fluffy_ , but he hadn't been, and still wasn't, sure. He hadn't had time to ask Ace what he had said before Angel had let out a high pitched scream. His blank face had been morphed into horror, red eyes wild with panic, his body desperate to get away. He had looked like a frightened animal, about to get slaughtered by the butcher.

And in that moment, Ace didn't exist anymore. He had turned into the demon he had always been afraid that he was.

Fire had erupted from the teen with lighting speed, burning everything in its way. Beast and Demon had been able to hide from the flames behind a fallen piece of the ceiling, and Thatch had been partly protected by standing behind Marco, even though his arm and back had been burned.

Over the fire's crackling, only Angels screams were audible. Marco had panicked, the image of the child burning alive invading his inner eye. He'd moved forwards, towards Ace. He'd been surprised by how the flames had worked against him, trying to push him away in a way that Ace flames never did.

Marco had swung, hitting his little brother in the head knocking him unconscious. The second Ace hit the floor, the flames had died down significantly, only leaving a few flames left, but Marco had not been focusing on that. His eyes had been drawn to the shivering figure on the other side of the room. Angel.

Before he knew what happened Marco had been in front of the child looking for injuries. But none had been there. The boy had been completely unharmed, not a single bit of ash on him. When he looked, he could see that where Angel had been sitting, the floor was completely unburned, while the rest of the stone floor had cracked thanks to the hot temperature. The wall Angel had been perched up against had also been completely fine. Ace's flames had created, what looked like, a barrier between Angel, and everyone else. But why?

Marco's thoughts had been interrupted by a snivel. Angel had been looking up at him with scared eyes, tears and snot running down his face. Marco had put his hands up in, what he had hoped, looked like a calming gesture.

"It's alright, yoi," he'd said gently. "Nothing is going to hurt you."

Marco had tried to take hold of the boy, to help him get up, but the boy had only flinched away to his advances.

"Listen, we need to make sure you don't have any injuries, yoi. And we can't do it here." Angel had still looked hesitant. Marco had looked into the eyes of the boy, trying to look as calm as possible. "I promise that you, or your friends, won't get hurt."

When he'd proclaimed that, Angel's stare had changed. Gone was the panic and fear, replaced by something Marco couldn't name. It had been like the boy could see everything that Marco had in his soul. It had been like being judged. Whatever Angel had found, he seemed to be happy with, because after a few seconds, which had felt like hours, the boy had slumped forwards into Marco's arms, completely unconscious.

When the boy's arm had come into contact with him, he had felt the familiar feeling of seastone, Marco remembered. Around the boy's arm was a seastone band, forged to look like a normal bracelet. The boy was a devil fruit user then. He had to make sure to get it off him later, Marco remembered thinking.

Marco didn't know why, but when Thatch had come to take the boy from him, Marco had first wanted to refuse. Some part of Marco hadn't allowed himself to let go of the boy. The only thing on his mind at that moment had been to take Angel back to the ship. Of course, he got his wits back to him, giving Thatch Angel. But still, he at first hadn't wanted that.

And there was the problem in Marco's eyes. He'd become protective over this boy. Worried over this boy. The same boy Ace had nearly killed them over. The same boy that Ace had tried to attack, but at the same time not kill. The same boy Ace had seen as a threat. After all, why else would Ace react like he had if that wasn't the case?

Marco was conflicted. He didn't know if he should side with Angel, a boy he knew _nothing_ about, or his little brother, whom he knew _everything_ about.*

* * *

Sabo was confused, and he didn't like it _at all_. He was the informed one. He was the one that knew things. He was the smart one. He had always been, and he would always be. But it was hard to be informed, when no one would _tell you anything_!

Sabo tightened his grip on the hand in his grip, looking down on his brothers unconscious face.

"What have you done now, idiot," he murmured, pushing Ace's bangs from his face. He had a cut on his cheek and a bruise from when Marco had knocked him out.

Sabo had been able to kinda understand what had happened, but it was like having a puzzle with about half of the puzzle pieces missing. He could see some kind of picture, but he wouldn't be 100% sure what it was.

He had understood that something had gone wrong the moment half of the crew had fallen to their knees. Pops had stood up with all the commanders preparing for battle. After all, Conquerors Haki was nothing to underestimate, but no attack had come. Everything had been quiet, no one had even dared to breathe, and that made the explosion that much more of a shock.

Fire had erupted from the noble pig's mansion, enveloping it in flames. At first Sabo had thought that maybe it had been some kind of weapon that the noble asses had been hiding, but his logical mind had shut down the ide. No noble ever had weapons. In their eyes, they were unnecessary, after all, who would ever attack a noble? Plus, the only one that could be able to create so much fire in such a short time frame was- Sabo had felt how his mind had gone numb. He saw how the rest of his family drew the same conclusion, horror in their eyes.

It had taken what felt like hours, even though it probably only been a few minutes, before the mansion's entrance had burst open.

The first one to come out had been Thatch. He had been badly burnt, his left arms skin looking like it had been melted of. Sabo shuddered. He knew how painful burns could be. His hair had been burned up to his shoulders, and the silk he had been wearing had barely been able to cover him. He had been carrying someone, but Sabo wasn't able to see who it had been. But, before he had tried to take a better look to the person in his big brother's arms, he had been distracted.

Marco, unlike Thatch, hadn't been hurt at all. As usual, he was completely unharmed, probably thanks to his devil fruit, but his clothes had nearly been burned off completely. He was, just like Thatch, carrying someone.

Ace was unconscious and pale, flames licking his skin. Seeing his brother, Sabo had jumped of the Moby Dick, and ran to him. Sabo's confusion hadn't eased when he saw the tear tracks that covered his brother's cheeks. Ace never cried.

After that, everything was a blur of movement. Doctors and nurses had helped Thatch, Ace and two other boys Sabo hadn't taken notice of. He had tried to help the best he could, but before he knew it, he was sitting on a chair by his brothers side.

Izo had told him that when Ace woke up, he would be questioned by Pops and the commanders, and afterwards they would discuss his punishment. Ace had broken one of the few rules of the Whitebeard Pirates. Never, _ever_ , hurt anyone of your siblings. This rule was one Sabo knew Ace stood for, a rule he knew Ace would never try to break. So why, why in the four blues would he do something like this?

Sabo was confused.

* * *

The deck was quiet. No one seemed to even dare to breath. Nobody had spoken up for at least 3 minutes, only soft murmurs from their siblings could be heard. Pops sat at his throne with Sabo and the rest of the commanders, except Thatch who was still in the infirmary, and Ace, who instead of standing with Sabo as the second commanders, was kneeling in front of Pops, his face down. He had been chained with seastone, after he had gotten a panic attack and nearly burned down the whole Third infirmary, and muffled.

People that were to be questioned always got muffled so that they could save their words for the trail. Ace hadn't been happy about it. Sabo remembered that Ace had started screaming for Sabo to _just listen to him_. They had muffled him before Ace had been able to say whatever he had wanted to say. And now they were here.

Pops lifted his staff, hitting it one time on the Adams wood, making everyone fall silent. He dusted his pants off, before he rose to his enormous length, looking down on Ace.

"I will go straight to the point. Ace, you've hurt one of your brothers, and as you know, this is our biggest crime," Whitebeard's voice echoed around the ship. The people on the deck started to murmur once more in surprise. "But I am not evil, I will here your side of the story before I, and your siblings, will decide your punishment." Sabo could here a few people protesting in the crowd, someone even shouting that Ace should be thrown of the ship. Sabo suppressed the instinct of glaring at them.

Izo and Namur came forward, untying the cloth that had been tied around Ace's head. The second Ace got his mouth free, he coughed, probably trying to find his voice. He looked up, and for the first time Sabo was able to see his brothers face. He was taken back. Ace had dried tear streaks on his cheeks, red eyes filled with panic, scanning the commanders before his eyes stopped on Sabo.

"S-Sabo," he croaked.

"Ace, you will speak with only me, no one-", Pops didn't have time to end the sentence before he was cut off.

"S-sabo, listen to me," Ace voice was cracky, but the extreme desperation on his face screamed volumes. "He's here, L-luffy's here!"

…

...What?

What was Ace talking about? Luffy, here? Had he really gone mad?

"Ace, what are you talking about…?" Sabo asked, ignoring the feeling of horror climbing up his spine.

"HE'S HERE, SABO!", Ace screamed, Conquerors Haki exploding from him, knocking out a few of the people on the deck. Sabo didn't notice how the commanders took out their weapons and prepared for battle. Everyone except Marco, that is.

"Ace, stop speaking nonsense. He's not here, that would be impossible!"

"I'm not speaking nonsense, Sabo! I _saw him_. He was in the mansion. _**They've hurt him Sabo**_!," Ace was crying now, shaking, screaming, looking at Sabo with anguish. The rest of the crew were taken back by his reaction. Sabo had only seen this side of him two times. The first was when he had woken up with his injuries after the Fire, and the second time, after Luffy had nearly been gutted by that bear. Sabo was sure that if the seastone weren't holding Ace back, he would be going on a rampage. " **They've branded him, Sabo**!", Ace screamed.

And as Sabo looked into his brothers eyes, he saw nothing but the truth. And he remember the boy Thatch had been carrying. They had had black hair, and toned skin, their energy had been so familiar. And if he let his Haki cover the ship, he felt it once more. The energy of his little light, his little darling, so weak, flickering, but still there, in the Second infirmary. It felt like his heart had stopped, then broken into a thousand pieces.

"Wait, are you talking about Angel, yoi?" Sabo turned towards Marco, who looked just as blank as usual. "You are, aren't you?"

Sabo didn't know who Angel was, but with the feeling of dread already taking over him, he knew what the answer was.

"Who?", Pops asked the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"A boy Thatch meet when he was _there_. Black hair, short, skinny, scar on his cheek."

Sabo tuned out the rest. It was him. Luffy. Thatch had meet Luffy _there_. Thatch had meet Luffy when he had been a slave, in the new world of the grand line, why was Luffy in the new world, why had he been able to meet Thatch who was a slave, why, _why_ , _**why**_? But Sabo knew the answer. The tragic answer.

' _ **THEY BRANDED HIM, SABO!'**_

No, please not Luffy. Anyone else, but please not him. No, please no. Luffy should never have to go through something like that.

A sob forced it's way out of him, making his throat feel like it had been cut on the inside. His legs suddenly felt to weak, his knees buckling. Namur caught him before he hit the ground, holding him up, but Sabo just wanted to scream at his brother to ' _let him fall_ ', but the only sound he could make were sobs. His burn felt irritated, which probably meant that Sabo was crying. Sabo didn't notice how everyone was looking at him, at that moment the only thing going through Sabo's head was Luffy, and how _Sabo had abandoned him._

Whitebeard turned his head towards his youngest son. This would be the first time the boy ever cried, well at least in such a public place.

"Sabo, my child, who is this boy," Pops asked, his booming voice surprisingly gentle. Sabo looked up from Namur's shoulder, gaze switching from Marco, to Pops, to Ace. He looked back to Pops.

"H-he's our… our," Sabo saw how Ace were shaking his head violently, but right now Sabo knew that this was the best course of action that they could take. "He's our little brother."

The deck became quiet.

* * *

Zoro was angry _**(worried)**_. If dartbraw was awake, he would probably scold him. Something along the lines of, 'You need to calm the fuck down, otherwise you won't be able to think straight!', but the blonde _wasn't_ awake, and his _Captain_ _wasn't_ _either_. Right now, Zoro was the only one that could protect them, and fury _always_ got his blood pumping.

Zoro had always thought that if they ever escaped their hell, he wouldn't be able to hold in his joy, probably smiling a stupid Sanji/Luffy smile, but in his fantasies they wouldn't be on a pirate ship overflowing with potential enemies. But _here they are_.

Zoro had at first thought that Braidy had been a pain in their ass, but that he would be durable. He had been OK'ed by Luffy, and that usually meant that the person was alright. And then the Pineapple had shown up, and that thought had flown out the window. Braidy had showed them that he couldn't be trusted, and the Pineapple was in the same boat. He was too calm, too collected, too blank. So what if he knew something about his Captains _Panic_ _Mode_ , he couldn't be trusted.

Of course, the two of them had really showed their true intentions when _he_ had showed up. Luffy's screams were still echoing in his mind, like a broken Transponder snail, saying the same thing over and over. Why his captain had screamed, Zoro didn't know, but he would be damned if he ever let that _monster_ close to _his_ Luffy again.

He tightened his grip on Luffy, ignoring the flash of pain coming from the burn on his side. His injuries didn't matter. As long as Luffy was alright, _nothing_ else mattered.

He glanced up from Luffy, looking at Sanji. His arms and a little bit of his face were bandaged, but his hands seemed alright ( _thank the Gods he didn't believe in)_. He let out a sigh, stroking the bangs away from Sanji's face, seeing the bandage that covered the teens eye. He didn't know the extent of the injury, but it didn't seem good.

Zoro had always seen himself as the oldest, as the one that protected Luffy and Eyebrow. He was _Beast_ , ready to destroy anything that had intentions of hurting his Nakama. Seeing Sanji hurt, even if he never would say it aloud, made him feel angry at himself. Luffy may come first, but the Curly brow did come a close second.

Zoro heard how someone sighed, and with lightning speed his eyes scanned the room, stopping at the doctor at the foot of their bed. He let out a low growl, and if glares could kill, the Doctor would be dead eight times over.

"Save it, brat," she said, giving him an unimpressed eyebrow. She gestured to the two beds Zoro and his Nakama was laying on. "Didn't I tell you to rest? This is the _opposite_ of resting."

Zoro's growls became louder, sitting up, making sure that Luffy and Sanji are behind him. What did she think he would do? She had placed them in different beds! How was Zoro supposed to know if they were alright if he couldn't even be close to them? Plus, it had creeped him out to no end not being close to Luffy. He had only left his side as he was _punished_ , and he hadn't really had that much of a choice if he wanted to leave or not. And yeah, sure, it had hurt like a bitch when he had moved Sanji's and Luffy's beds together, but being able to lay down with them, like he always does, was worth it.

The woman rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not going to move you again. It'll be too hard on your body, and mine," she muttered the last part under her breath. She then glared down at him, glowering, "But if you try any of this shit again the nice me is gone, got it?"

Zoro gave a single nod, glaring up at the doctor until she left, leaving the three of them alone in the infirmary. He returned to his rightful place, at the right side of his Captain, hugging him tight.

Zoro knew that the doctor had seen his mark, Luffy's and probably Sanji's as well. The _stamps, marking_ them as the Masters. Everyone would know what they had been forced to go through, and if that didn't make him angry-

Zoro tightened his grip on Luffy.

Luffy, even though he hadn't had any injuries from the fire, had also been bandaged up. All of the bite marks and hickey were now covered with patches, as well as his arms, legs and stomach. He was dressed in a too big shirt, and Zoro would be lying if he said it was weird to see his Captain in anything else than silk. All of Luffy's makeup had also been wiped away, leaving Zoro to see, first time seeing, his Captains scar. A small smile came upon his lips, thinking about the story Luffy had told them about how he got that scar. Sometimes his Captain could be such an idiot. All of the jewelry had also been removed, even the bracelet around Luffy's wrist. Zoro can't remember the last time Luffy hadn't worn it. Now that he thought about it, Luffy had always been wearing that bracelet.

He sighed. He didn't want to think about that right now. He needed to be alert. He had to make sure that no one sneaks up on them. He had to protect, protect… protect ?…

His snores echoed in the room before his head had even hit the pillow.

* * *

The cabin was completely quiet, the only thing being audible were the two brothers breathing. They were sitting on a mattress on the floor. Of course, there was a bed, but the two brothers couldn't remember ever sleeping in one, and frankly, the floor was more comfortable. Sabo was sitting in the comforting embrace of his older brother. After the trail, Ace and Sabo had gone to their cabin, and in privacy they had let themselves brake once more. But, this time, they had had each other to draw comfort from.

A soft knock on their door brought the two brothers back to reality, both being lost in there minds. The door opened slowly, revealing their oldest sibling.

"Can I come in ,yoi?", Marco asked, a hand still on the door. Sabo knew that he would leave if they asked him too, but they wouldn't. Ace nodded his agreement.

Marco came in, sitting down on a stool by Sabo's desk.

"We've decided your punishment, Ace," he revealed after a short while of awkward silence. "Thanks to the circumstances, yoi, Pops have decided that you'll help the forth division with the kitchen until Thatch's better, and you'll start talking to Izo about anger management, yoi"

"Is, is that all?", Ace mumbled confused. He had thought that after what he did, he would be kicked off the crew.

"Pops understood why you did it, yoi. You had a panic attack, and seeing someone you love in such an position. I would have been worried if you hadn't reacted like that, yoi" Marco explained, smiling gently at the brothers, which the two returned.

After a few minutes of silence, Marco sighed. "I'm sorry, yoi," Marco once more broke the silence.

"What are you sorry for?", Ace asked, hugging Sabo a bit tighter. "We don't want pity."

Marco shook his head, understanding what Ace thought he was saying. "That's not what I'm apologizing for, yoi." Sabo was grateful that Marco didn't comment on it more than that. He didn't think Ace, or himself could take any more of it. "I shouldn't have taken up Angel-"

"His _**name**_ is _Luffy_ ," Ace growled, the calm atmosphere from before being replaced with anger.

"I shouldn't have taken up _Luffy_ during the trial, yoi. I should have saved it for later," Marco said, ignoring the hostile atmosphere from the two brothers.

'He actually seems sorry,' Sabo thought.

"Thank you, Marco," Sabo whispered, giving Marco a gently smile once more. He noticed how Ace opened his mouth to protest, and turned to glare at his brother. "Ace, don't," he warned. Ace huffed, rolling his eyes, before his glare returned to Marco.

"Why are you here? Like, why are you _really_?", Ace sneered. Marco gave Ace an unimpressed eyebrow, before he shook his head.

"I was about to get to that, Ace, yoi" he explained. "Alys came to my cabin, told me that if you want too, you two can go visit _him,_ yoi. She didn't want to disturb you, so she sent me to tell you, yoi."

"Thatch?"

Marco shook his head, and Sabo's emotions clashed. A part of him was sad that he wouldn't be able to talk to Thatch yet, but another part was happy that he would be able to see Luffy, while another part of him filled of dread.

"He hasn't woken up yet, yoi. But, at least, you will be able to see how he's doing, yoi," Marco clarified, and the part of Sabo that had been happy was replaced with worry. Ace seemed to be in the same boat.

"What do you mean, he hasn't woken up yet!?", Ace fumed, panic coming back to his eyes, his hands becoming fists. "What's wrong with him?!"

"I don't know, ask Alys," Marco calmly asked, not reacting at all to Ace's anger.

Sabo stood up from the mattress, dusting off some imaginare dust from his pants.

"Let's go, shall we?"


	5. Chapter 5: An Agreement, And A Promise

The walk to the second infirmary had never been so far. Every step felt like an eternity, the dread in his stomach expanding with every time his boots met the Adams wood. Sabo had his blank face on, which made it impossible for even Ace to see what he was feeling, and Marco had his 'lazy face' on, which pretty much had the same effect as Sabo's expression. And it made Ace angry that they're able to keep calm, when Ace felt like he would explode into a ball of flames at any second.

They couldn't understand what Ace was going through at the moment. They hadn't seen Luffy like Ace had. Hadn't seen their little brother with such a fear filled expression, with tears running down his cheeks, screaming for help. Ace had been afraid that Sabo wouldn't be able to handle what had happened, so he had kept his mouth shut. Ha had been planning on telling him later, when Sabo had calmed down, but that time had never come, and right now he was regretting that he hadn't told him earlier. What would happened when Sabo saw what had happened to their baby brother? Would he panic, like Ace had? No, Sabo was smarter than that, he would be able to control himself. Right?

"So you brats finally came, huh?" Ace looked up, lost in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed that they'd already arrived at the infirmary.

"I'm older than you, Alys, yoi," Marco rolled his eyes at the head doctor, she just replied with a snicker before she turned towards Ace and Sabo with a more somber expression. After a few moments of quiet, she took a deep breath.

"Before you go in, you should know the state of things," she sighed. Ace could feel his heart beating loudly in his ears. "I will not lie, your brother isn't doing well. He's been starved, beaten and he's been damaged in regions that I can't fully heal. And I still have no idea on how his mental state is faring."

"When, when you s-say, 'r-regions', d-do, do you m-mean…?", Sabo stuttered, his blank expression cracking, revealing the dread and panic underneath. Ace only felt numb.

Alys nodded. "That's exactly what I mean," she responded quietly. Ace saw how Sabo's body started shaking, his expression filled with terror, eyes watery. Ace put his hand on his brother's shoulder. He had been able to puzzle everything together in the first few seconds of seeing Luffy, which had been a big reason why he lost control. Luffy's attire had spoken volumes, and the, _the_ _hickeys_ and _bite marks_ that had covered _**his**_ _**little brother's skin-**_. He took a deep breath, killing the rage welling up inside of him. Right now he needed to be strong for Sabo, he couldn't repeat the same mistake twice.

He took a few steps towards Alys, trying to look ready, even though he knew he would never be.

"Can we come in?"

She nodded, opening the door. Sabo took hold of Ace's arm, hugging it tightly. It reminded Ace of when they were young, when Sabo would be scared of everything, and nothing.

"Follow me," Alys whispered, walking inside the infirmary, the three brothers in her heels. The infirmary was completely empty except for about ten empty beds and two beds that had been pushed together with three forms snoring on it. Alys stopped at the foot of the beds. "Here they are."

Ace looked down at the three boys on the bed, and felt the rage that he had killed being reanimated. Luffy was lying in the arms of two boys that looked a bit older than him, cuddled up close, as if even the notion of being separated from them hurt him. The makeup was gone, making it impossible not to see that the boy in the bed was their little brother. He had become a lot thinner, but the bones weren't sticking out as they had been before. He supposed that it was thanks to his little brothers devil fruit. His hair had been put in a small ponytail, showing off the patches that had been put over his throat.

"L-Luffy," Sabo whispered, his voice filled with the heartbreak Ace was feeling. His scarred hand reached out, stopping just over Luffy's knee, his whole arm was shaking. He retracted it to his side, the other hand coming up to cover his mouth. He looked sick.

"Sa', are you alright?", Ace whispered, taking a step towards his brother, but he flinched back when his brother rounded on him. Tears were running down his cheeks, and he looked furious.

"No, Ace, I am **not '** _ **alright'**_ ," he sneered. "My _little brother_ has been tortured and raped for who knows how long! And I had that noble pig at my staffs end, Ace, and I didn't even kill him! I didn't even make him _beg for mercy_! And you know what's the worst part? I can't feel sad about this, because it's all _**my fault**_ _._ If, if _I_ hadn't left early, then, then m-maybe I-I could have… I could have," a sob cut him off, and with that all the fight left him, he slumped into his brothers embrace. Ace hugged him tight.

"You're right, bad question." Ace murmured, letting his fingers brush through Sabe's hair. Sabo let out a surprised laugh.

"Actually, we do know how long he was there." Ace and Sabo looked up at Alys. "All of their wounds are from different times, but the majority of their scars are about two years old, which means that they have been there for about two years time, probably together."

"Two years?", Sabo mumbled, his grip on Ace tightening. He looked up at Ace with a broken stare. "We, we left two years and five months ago."

Ace didn't notice the tears running down his cheeks, but he did see how the last part in Sabo that hadn't broken yet, cracked into a thousand pieces. He hugged him tighter, trying to hold his brother together.

Someone walking towards them made Ace look up from his brother. He saw how Marco came forwards, and, without hesitation, hugged them tight. Ace and Sabo looked up surprised at their brother, he may have the title as the mother hen of the crew, but he usually didn't comfort with hugs. And when warmth enveloped them from behind, the arms of their big sister snacking around them, hugging them as well, they didn't know what to feel

"It'll be alright, yoi," Marco whispered, Alys hummed in agreement, and for the third time that day, Ace and Sabo broke down.

No one noticed the twitching from the blonde boy on the bed.

* * *

"Tch, tch. Really Sanji? You thought that I would let you come back?", Zeff sneered, shaking his head. "You've always been an idiot, but this a new level, even for you."

"O-owner Zeff, what are you…?", Sanji was cut of by a kick to his face. His body was hurting after all the kicks he had gotten from his mentor, and his right eye felt weird. He couldn't move, stuck to the floor.

"Oh, what is it, _**weakling**_ _?_ Can't even take a few kicks? Can't say I'm surprised, you've always been a disappointment." Zeff walked towards him, limping on his wooden leg. "You see what you did to me, boy? I should have let you die on that rock, you've only been causing me problems ever since I took you in." Sanji couldn't talk, it felt like his throat was sealed shut, he could only shake his head widely.

"Yes, you can't even hit a woman," He looked to his right, seeing The Lady. "Or, am I wrong, _Demon_? I am, aren't I. The boy that would never ever hurt a woman is gone, isn't he? I killed him, right?" Sanji could only feel horror, because he knew what she said was true.

"What did you expect, guys? He doesn't have any honor, always makes promises he can't keep. He said he would protect me, but he couldn't even do something simple as that. He's just a _**failure**_." Sanji looked to his left, and the tears that he'd tried to stop started to run down his cheeks.

Luffy's whole body was covered in scratches, bite marks, hickes and blood was slowly running down his thighs. He was so _thin_ , like a skeleton, completely _starved_. His face was sunken in, eyes bloodshot, his hands and legs were shaking, barely being able hold himself up with the lack of energy.

"L-Luffy, no, please…"

He tried to get free, but the floor wouldn't let go.

"You're just a _failure_ Sanji. A _weakling_ , an _abomination_! A _**failed experiment**_! You were a waste of life." Sanji didn't know if it had been Zeff, the Lady or Luffy that had said it, but he didn't care, because he knew deep down that they weren't lying.

He had always been a failure, always being the one that _couldn't_ , but now more than ever. He was supposed to keep Luffy safe, to make sure that he was happy. That was his purpose. Zoro protected them like the _**Beast**_ he was, Luffy brightened up their lives with joy and light, like the _**Angel**_ he was, and Sanji… Well Sanji manipulated the situation so that Luffy would see it for better than it actually was, like the _**Demon**_ he was. He lived so that he could make sure that his little Angel didn't break.

And he had _**failed**_.

* * *

The group of siblings jumped apart at the death chilling scream from the bed. For a half second Ace thought it had been Luffy that had screamed, but turning towards the bed, he saw that it wasn't Luffy sitting up screaming his lungs out. It was the blonde. Ace hadn't taken notice of him until now, Luffy had always taken up all of his attention.

"Alys, what's going on!?", Marco yelled, covering his ears, even though the scream wouldn't have hurt him.

"I don't know," Alys screamed back.

The boy abruptly stopped his screaming, his labored breathing echoing in the small room. He didn't seem to have taken notice of them, his eye looking blindly around the room, before stopping at the form of Ace's and Sabo's little brother. He let out a strangled whimper, pulling off the bed covers, revealing Luffy and the green haired boy that had been sleeping underneath.

"Luffy…". Ace had barely been able to hear his strangled whisper. The boy seemed to be crying as he pushed the bangs from Luffy's face, cradling his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, so sorry, sorry, please, so sorry," he sobbed over and over again, hugging the unconscious boy close to him.

"Demon?", Marco whispered, and it was like a switch had been flipped. The boy looked up, his eyes turning from anguish, to confusion, to fear, to horror, to rage. He pulled up the covers once more on the two boys, making sure that they were out of sight, glaring at the four siblings in front of him with rage and fear, and with a shaky hand pointing at Marco.

"You," he seethed. He started getting up, but flinched when pain shot through him. He looked down at himself, seemingly surprised by what he saw, before he seemed to realise something. He gasped, a hand shooting up to the bandage eye. "W-what did you do to me…?" he whispered, looking up once more. Alys looked down not answering, and he didn't seem to like that. " _ **WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?**_ ".

Alys came forwards, putting her hands up in a calming manner.

"Calm down, boy. You're hurt, you need to calm-"

"Don't come any c-closer!", he cut Alys off, the rage turning into fear. "I'm warning you! I, I won't hold back just because you-you're a girl!" Ace noticed how his expression seemed to morph into one of terror as he said these things, seemingly horrified over his statement, before he once more seemed to get a hold of himself, but the terror still not leaving his expression. "Yeah, I won't let you come closer. I'll pummel you to the ground!"

The bandages that had been covering the boy's arms started to turn red with blood, his wounds had opened. If this continued, Ace knew that this boy would hurt himself even further. He took a small step forwards, trying to look calm.

"Hey, calm down, kid," he told the boy. "My names Ace, what's yours?"

The boy seemed confused by Ace's actions, looking at him as if he was an idiot- before his eye widened in recognition.

"You! You were the one that tried, that tried to hurt L- Angel," he stuttered, once more making sure that Luffy was out of sight.

"His name is Luffy, but you know that, right?", Sabo stated, taking a few steps until he was standing besides his brother. The boy's eyes widened, panic crossing his face.

"H-how did you...?", he whispered, confusion clouding his expression. Before he could once more go into rage mode, Ace spoke up.

"We know him, from before, before _this_ happened to him," he explained. "We don't want to hurt you, we simply want to make sure you're alright." The boy didn't seem convinced.

"But if you _knew him_ , why did you try to attack him?," he asked, voice like icy steel, the confusion gone as fast as it had appeared.

"I reacted badly, I couldn't control my anger, but I didn't hurt him, I'm sure of that," Ace stated. Ace knew that he would never hurt Luffy like that.

The boy still seemed unsure.

"Demon, I know what you've been through a lot, but Angel needs medical treatment, yoi. Plus, he has to start getting control over his haki, or it could hurt him, yoi. Don't do this for us or yourself, do it for him."

Ace forgotten that Marco had been in the room, and had nearly been scared out of his boots by his proclamation. And had he just said Haki? Luffy has Haki? Since when? The image of the weak little brother they had left on Goa Island entering his mind's eye.

The boy, Demon was simply staring at them with a blank expression.

"If we stay, you have to promise that you'll not hurt us, that you'll leave us alone as much as possible, and that I'll be the one to prepare our food, when my wounds are healed," Demon stated, adding the last part when Alys were about to argue.

Ace wanted to protest. He didn't know this boy, for all he knew he had been the one that had hurt Luffy. And, Ace didn't want to be separated from his brother more than necessary. He wanted to hug him close, dry his tears, sing Luffy's lullaby like he used to. But he knew that he couldn't have that anymore, the image of Luffy's panicked face coming into his mind's eye. Right now, this was their best course of action. Marco seemed to agree.

"Alright, yoi, but until the three of you have healed, you will eat with at least one of us, yoi. You'll also undergo full medical treatment and Angel will get lessons in Haki. We don't want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, but we want to make sure that you'll heal. Do you agree to these terms?".

The boy looked around the room, staring at each one of them, before staring at the two sleeping figures beside him. He looked up, his expression filled with determination.

"I agree."

* * *

"You did _what_!?", Zoro growled at Sanji, clenching his fists. Sanji rolled his eyes.

"What was I supposed to do, Mosshead?! They outnumbered me and would have easily destroyed me in a fight. Plus, as long as we lay low, and _don't anger_ _them_ , we'll get medical treatment, and they'll help Lu with his Panic Mode. When we're strong enough, we'll leave!", Sanji argued, glaring at Zoro.

"Oh, yeah? And what happens when something goes wrong. I'll tell you what happens, they'll _**punish us**_. You saw what that fire monster did, they're not on our side. No one on this ship is! We can't trust them!"

"I'm not saying that we should trust them! I'm saying that if we don't want to die of infections before we even _reach_ the East Blue, we have to accept their help!"

"Do you really think they'll let us go when they've healed us, Sanji? They saw our marks, they _know_! We've just traded our hell for another!"

"How do you know that, you haven't even talked to them!"

"I've meet pirates, and they are _no good_! They kill, raid, kidnap and _**rape**_. They are not to be trusted!"

"Didn't you agree to become a pirate, Zoro? Or have you changed your mind?"

" _ **Shut your mouth!**_ ", Zoro roared, taking hold of Sanji's shirt. Sanji flinched back, terror filling his eyes. The expression made all of the fight inside of Zoro die.

He dropped his hand from Sanji's shirt, slumping forwards, looking down on his Captain's sleeping face. He let his fingers run through the boy's hair.

"You know that this is different," Zoro whispered, not looking up at the blond, but he could feel how the blond started to calm down. Sanji put a hand on his shoulder.

"I, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I just, just, I don't know," Sanji murmured. "I'm tired."

Zoro let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, me too."

"This feels familiar," Sanji laughed, remember all the times their fights have been resolved this way. He tried to shake his head at the silliness of the situation, but abruptly stopped when pain shoots from his right eye. His hand immediately covers the bandage. _**It**_. _**Hurt**_. _**So**_. _**Fucking**_. _**Much**_.

"Dartbrow?", Zoro's worried voice draws Sanji away from the pained haze. "How, how's the eye?"

Sanji looked down. Should he say he was fine? No, he remembers what the Doctor had said, he wouldn't be able to fake it. He sighed.

"I'll have to change my bangs to hang over the other side of my face from now on."

Zoro's eyes widened, understanding changing his expression. He took hold of the cook's shoulder, turning the teen towards him, trying to make a gentle expression.

"It'll alright."

Sanji shrugged, looking down. He stroked one of his hands slowly over the bandage, feeling the hollow space where his eye used to be, before he looked up with a small smile.

"But hey, now I'll match Lu. All we need now is for you to get a facial scar, and we'll be perfect!"

"I'll get on that," Zoro whispered, his hand stroking Sanji's cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears that had started to run down the boys cheek. "I promise, this was the last time the two of you get hurt outside of combat," he declared, Sanji smiled through the tears.

"I'll h-hold you to that p-promise."

Zoro nodded, guiding Sanji into his embrace. It was a bit awkward, Sanji was usually the comforter, and it was a bit uncomfortable, with Luffy sleeping in between them, but, somehow, it was perfect.

Making sure that their Angel was sleeping, Sanji let the tears run down his cheeks. Crying for his Captain, for his lost morals, for his lost eye, and everything that had happened the last two years.

And if Sanji noticed Zoro crying with him, well, it could just as well have been the wind.


	6. Chapter 6: Strength And Weakness

Consciousness came back to Luffy slowly, which was unusual. Usually he would jerk awake from a nightmare, or Sanji would wake him up for his cleaning. It was weird. The only times Sanji and Zoro wouldn't wake him up was when Luffy was being…

Luffy sat up, the adrenaline waking him, clearing his senses. He looked around panicked, only to stop dead.

This is not their room.

He looked around, being met by an empty, dark space.

He started to shake. No, no, no, why? What had he done ?! Why was he being Righted ?! He couldn't remember what he'd done wrong, but he had to have done something if the Lady thought that he needed the Room .

"Cupcake?" Luffy's gaze snapped to his side, seeing Sanji laying beside him, looking up at Luffy with a relieved gaze. He seemed happy to see Luffy awake.

No, why was Sanji here? Sanji was not supposed to be here. Was the Lady going to Right him too?

"Cookie, what's wrong?", Sanji asked, giving Luffy a worried look as he sat up, the blanket pooling by his hips, revealing bandages all over his arms and his throat and his head and how did Sanji get all of those injuries ?

"S-Sanji?" One part of Luffy hated how small his voice was, but the rest of him was too afraid of someone hearing him. "Where are we…?"

Sanji seemed surprised at Luffy's question.

"You don't remember?", he asked, confusing Luffy even more. What was he supposed to reme-

-ACE?!

NO, NO PLEASE!

WHY IS HE TRYING TO HURT ME?!-

Luffy gasped as the memories from earlier exploded in his mind. He felt his body start to shake as he remembered. They had tried to escape, but then the Lady had come and she'd done that . And then…

Ace and fire.

That was the last thing that he could remember. And that had to mean…

Luffy spun around, starting to shake Zoro, trying to wake him up! Why wasn't he waking up?!

"Luffy! What are you doing?! Stop !", Sanji yelled, pulling Luffy from Zoro, into his own arms. Luffy trashed, trying to get out! Didn't Sanji understand?! Surprisingly, Luffy was able to get out of Sanji's grasp, and if Luffy's mind wasn't on other things at the moment he would have been startled. He was never able to get out of Sanji's or Zoro's grips.

"Zoro, wake up! We need to go!", Luffy yelled, once more starting to shake Zoro. Just as he was about to tear off the blankets that were covering Zoro, Sanji took ahold of his arm, spinning him around to face him.

"Luffy! What are you talking about?", Sanji asked, confused, staring at Luffy with a puzzled look, and he looked so desperate to understand, to make whatever that was hurting Luffy go away . That stare broke the barriers in Luffy, as he started sobbing, collapsing into Sanji's open arms.

"He, I saw him, and-and, he-!"

Sanji hugged the small boy close to him. This was not how he'd thought Luffy would've reacted when he woke up, but thinking about why would take to long. His confusion was being replaced by hot rage, and fast.

"Who is this ' he' ?", Sanji's voice was cold, monotone, filled with fury. Whoever was scaring his Angel had already signed their death contract.

Luffy couldn't answer, his cries making it impossible for him to speak. He knew he was scaring Sanji, but he couldn't stop. Now that he was more awake, he knew that it was impossible for Ace to actually be there. It had been the Lady's beam that had been playing tricks on him, but knowing that didn't make the fear go away. Not anymore . The only thing he could do was hug Sanji tighter.

Sanji opened his mouth to try to get more information from Luffy, but -

"Well, look who's awake," a stranger's voice said, snapping Luffy from his sobs. He looked up from Sanji's chest, watching as a man, (or was it a woman?), walked into the infirmary.

" Leave , Izo- san ," Sanji hissed at the person, Izo , hugging Luffy tighter. The boy would lie if it didn't calm him down slightly. The person simply shook his head.

"Pops told me that it's my turn to give you food, so I'm not going." they said, before they pointed at Luffy, ignoring the flinch it invoked. "And this guy needs some food. He's been unconscious for quite some time now."

Luffy's eyes widened in surprised. He'd been unconscious? And for long ?! How could he have let himself?! What would had happened if someone had tried to hurt Sanji or Zoro! Who would have protec-. What was he talking about? Was he supposed to protect them? He couldn't even protect himself , much less his precious Nakama. He was too weak .

"I got it under control, now leave!", Sanji growled. He didn't really have anything against the Okama, he was one of the few people on the ship, after Marco and Alys, that didn't treat them any differently after everything that had happened to them. But right now, he wished the Okama could just disappear .

Izo just lifted an eyebrow at the hissing teen as he carried a tray of food into the room. It was the usual, boring, tasteless broth. Sanji couldn't wait until his injuries were healed so that he could make his Nakama something actually edible . Sanji would never turn his nose up when presented with food, and certainly not when he and his Nakama were surrounded by potential enemies, but for hell's sake , they could at least be putting in some effort!

Sanji slowly reached out, about to take one bowl from the tray, but flinched away when Izo leaned forwards to make it easier for him to reach, suspiciously eyeing the okama.

"I won't snatch it away, you know," Izo mumbled, but when he was ignored by the teen, he let his gaze wander to the boy in the teens lap.

So this was Ace and Sabo's little brother, huh? He was very similar to them, having the red eye color and black hair, just as Ace, and the big round eyes and wavy hair, just as Sabo. A part of him wanted to ask the boy about what had happened to him, but Ace and Sabo had told the crew to not take it up, and Izo couldn't blame them.

The two of them would always talk about their little brother. How he was weak, but not really , how he would always cry, or how he used to when they were little, and how he would always get into trouble, which never really changed. But looking at the small shivering boy in Demon's arms, who was looking up at him with teary, scared eyes, he saw nothing of the boy he'd heard so much about.

He ignored the hissing blond teen as he crouched before the small boy, smiling at him gently.

"Hello, little one. Did you sleep well?", he tried to keep his voice calm and reassuring, and it seemed to work as the boy gave a single nod, glancing at him with a curious stare. "That's great! I made some lunch for you. It's not very tasty, I'm not good at making food, but I hope you'll like it anyway."

Luffy carefully peeked at the tray, his stomach growling with hunger. He was really hungry. One little sip wouldn't hurt, right?

He carefully reached out, even though he could feel Sanji tensing behind him, his gaze switching between the bowls and Izo. His fingers lightly took hold of the warm bowl, and his stomach rumbled at the feeling of warmth emitting from the porcelain. When was the last time he'd had warm food? He couldn't remember.

With a shaky grip, he lifted the bowl from the tray. It was easier than he thought it would be. It actually felt, light? Usually he didn't even have the strength to sit up.

Slowly, he carried the small bowl into his lap, cradling it like it was a priceless treasure, letting the heat of it warm him up. He started to lift it up to his lips, to take a long sip, when-

"What is it doing! Scarfing down so much food! It'll destroy it's figure of this continues!"

"You eat ALL OF IT?! Seems like something has to be RIGHTED!"

"EAT IT, BITCH! I THOUGHT THAT YOU COULD RELATE TO TRASH! THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE!"

Suddenly it felt like his arms were on fire, scalding hot, burning. Looking down, he saw how the bowl he'd lifted had been crushed into thousands of pieces, the hot broth running down his arms and chest, burning him. He knew he should be reacting, but he felt oddly numb, disconnected from the world, like he was under water. He heard someone screaming.

Someone was talking to him, but he couldn't make out what they're saying. Something wet and cold spread over his arms, making the burn go away. It felt nice. The same someone that had been talking to him, was now whispering comforts in his ear. It was nice.

Everything went dark.

* * *

The deck was quiet, the conversations between the commanders had died when the blood curling scream had come from the second infirmary. It had been an hour ago, but the tension still hadn't eased. Sabo had tried to run in, but Ace had stopped him. Sabo knew that he would only worsen the situation if he went in there, but that didn't mean that he didn't want to. He was sitting on Pops knee, cuddled up close. Usually he hated sittings in Pops lap, he was an adult for Hell's sake, but right now this was just what he needed. Ace was pacing in front of them.

When the door to the infirmary opened, everyone noticed, the doors creaking loud in the airy silence. Izo quietly walked out, carrying the tray under his arm, and in a small bag with shards?

"Izo, my child, what happened?", Pops powerful voice echoed over the deck, asking the question that had been on everyone's minds since the scream.

"I, I don't know? He was about to eat, but suddenly- he just-! He broke the bowl, like it was nothing! He got burned pretty bad, but I and Alys was able to help him. I have no idé how he was able to do it though…", he mumbled, running his hand through his hair.

Sabo swallowed, the image of his baby brother getting hurt wasn't what he wanted to think about right now.

"I was afraid this would happen, yoi." Everyone turned towards Marco, surprised by his statement.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?," Ace snapped. Sabo would usually lecture him for his behavior, but right now he didn't have the energy. He hadn't been able to sleep last night, for multiple reasons.

"Your brother has a Devil Fruit, right," Marco didn't really ask, more like stated. Ace nodded anyway.

"You think it's...?", Pops asked his oldest son. Marco nodded, looking grim.

"Could someone please explain what the two of you are talking about?", Sabo asked, annoyance seeping into his tone.

"Seastone takes away the Devil Fruit power and the user's strength. As you may know, the user will have a hard time doing anything with them on. However, if you wear it long enough the user gets used to being drained, and their body will adapt. If the seastone then is taken off, the user will be a lot stronger than they were before.

"When I was young the world government would cuff Devil Fruit users for a long time, ignoring the side affects. When the prisoner than was set free, when the cuffs finally were removed, the Devil Fruit user would be a lot stronger. They wouldn't be used to this added strength, and would have a hard time controlling it, which would led to them destroying whatever they touched.

"It's why imprisoned Devil Fruit users only gets cuffed in periods nowadays," Pops explained. "This strength boost is probably what has happened to your little brother."

Sabo nodded, it made sense. The human always tried to adapt, this was no exception. Luffy had already been strong, he couldn't imagine how much his strength had increased over the last two years. Of course, he would still be weak in some areas, like actually using his Devil Fruit, something he hadn't been able to do for the last two years -

Sabo cut off that train of thought, not wanting to think more about how long his little brother was trapped in such a place.

"Was he calm before the accident, yoi," Marco asked Izo, probably trying to figure out what had made Luffy react like he had.

"Well, even before he broke the bowl, he was very timid and scared," Izo told them, looking specifically at Pops. Sabo swallowed, it felt wrong to have his little brother and timid and scared in the same sentence. "It looked like he had had a panic attack when I came into the room. He was whispering about a him and how he was going to hurt him."

"Maybe the one that t-tortured him were a male?", Sabo mumbled, looking at Marco for clarification. Right now, with Thatch still being unconscious, he was the one that knew the most about the three boys.

"No, yoi," Marco shook his head. "We meet that person, and they were, without a doubt, female."

"Then, who is he talking about!?", Ace yelled, seemingly at the end of his rope, as small flames started to dance across his shoulders.

"I think it's you."

Ace's flames died down the second Marco had uttered his statement. He looked at Marco with a lost look.

"What are you talking about…?"

"The woman that was torturing them, she tried to stop our escape, yoi. She seemed to have a Devil Fruit as well, as when she tried to stop us she sended some sort of beam that hit Luffy. He started screaming, thrashing around, attacking anyone that came near him, yoi," Marco told them. "Most of what he yelled I couldn't make out, but I'm pretty sure he said stop, your name, and Sabo's a few times, yoi. Whatever the woman did to him, it seemed like the two of you were involved with it, and not in a good way, yoi. I completely forgot about it after, you know..." he gestured to Ace, but the two brothers barely noticed.

Luffy had been tortured, and they had had some part of it. Had Luffy been waiting for them to save him? Sitting alone in a cell, praying that his big brothers would come for him. Had that woman told him they were coming for him, only to break the boys hope into a thousand pieces? Did he hate them?

Whatever had happened, it didn't seem that Luffy were going to take kindly to seeing them. Maybe they should just let him heal, and then let him go? Did Ace and Sabo even have a place in Luffy's life anymore, or was it time to say goodbye? Maybe this was Sabo's punishment for not being by his darling brother's side when he needed him the most?

No, Sabo wouldn't abandon his brother a second time. He couldn't! Right now, Sabo needed to kill that self pity that had welled up inside of him, and focus on helping his little brother. And even though he didn't like it, he knew what he and his brother needed to do.

"I think it's time for us to see our brother, Ace."

* * *

"Are you sure that they aren't too tight, Cap'?", Zoro asked, holding Luffy's bandaged arm in a gentle grip. Luffy nodded, giving the green haired teen a small smile. Really, Zoro could be such a worrier sometimes.

"Do you want to lay down, take a nap maybe?", Sanji chimed in, straightening the blanket that was around the black haired boy's shoulders.

"No, thank you, Sanji-san," Luffy smiled, he wasn't tired at all. Now that he thought about, he couldn't remember the last time he felt this energized . He really wanted to just run around. He knew Sanji would get a heart attack if he did, but he could dream.

"Sorry for being such a worry wart, Cinnamon Bunny. You just gave us a scare." Sanji mumbled, letting his fingers run through the boy's hair.

Luffy looked down, feeling guilty. He hadn't meant to make his Nakama worry. But, really, how was he supposed to know that he could destroy bowls super easily? It had never happened before!

However, the Okama person, Izo, and the big doctor Lady, called Alys, had patched him up, which had been super weird! Didn't they know that things like him didn't deserve such things? If they showed him kindness he would get spoiled and that would lead to his Nakama getting hurt! He hadn't said anything, after all he was not allowed to talk back, but he did hope that they would stop soon.

Luffy sighed, cuddling closer to Zoro who was sitting behind him. He just had to be careful not to break the rules, and everything would be fine.

"Luffy, we wanted to ask you something." Luffy looked up at Sanji, surprised that he had used his name. Sanji would usually call him a nickname, and would only use his real name when things were serious.

"Ask away," Luffy half smiled, a bit confused.

"We, we meet two guys that knew your name," Zoro murmured. "They wouldn't tell us how they knew you, but they said they knew you from, from Before. We just wanted to make sure…"

Luffy frowned. Someone he knew? Here? Sanji had told him that they were on the pirate ship of the Whitebeard Pirates, and even though Luffy didn't know who they were, they seemed like a big deal. Luffy's pretty sure he would have remembered if he knew someone who was living with such a big pirate crew.

Sanji took a deep breath, taking hold of Luffy's hand, gently stroking his thumb over it.

"They're names were Ace and Sabo. Do you know them?,"

Luffy's thoughts stopped. No. It couldn't be. Ace had just been an illusion, right? It had been the Lady that had done that to him, right? Ace and Sabo wasn't, couldn't be here, right?

Wait. Did that mean Ace actually had been there, had actually tried to hurt him? But, but, no. Ace wouldn't, would he?

He knew that Ace and Sabo hadn't always hurt him, but that was the only thing he could remember. Them punching, kicking, taunting, touching him, the memories of them hugging, laughing and tickling him long forgotten and replaced.

"Luffy?", the soft sound from his Nakama drew him out of his thoughts. They were both looking at him with worry, trying to figure out what was wrong.

Luffy sighed, looking down on his hand that were still in Sanji's grasp. They had promised each other to never lie to one another.

"They… they're my… my brothers."

Sanji and Zoro tensed, both letting out a gasp.

"What?", Zoro asked. "Why didn't you tell us!"

"Oh, God. If I knew that they were your brothers, I would've never-! Lu, I'm so sorry," Sanji choked, tightening his hold on Luffy's hands, slowly bringing them to his lips, lightly kissing them. "Please forgive me, I didn't-"

"Stop," Luffy cut Sanji off, he withdrew his hands from his grip, holding them to his chest. "It's no big deal."

"Of course it is, Lu," Zoro murmured, hugging the boy's waist tight. Luffy just shook his head, a tear running down his cheek.

"N-not anymore. I- I can't remember -", he choked, not able to finish his sentence.

The two older teens' eyes widened, before they softened in sympathy. They had also been affected by the Lady's power.

Zoro couldn't remember Koshiro giving him Kuina's sword, even though he knew that he had. That memory had been replaced with Koshiro beating him to death with it.

Sanji couldn't remember Zeff ever given him a compliment, even though he knew he would give them any time Sanji had deserved them. All of those time had been replaced by taunts and threats. It had been stupid of them to think Luffy hadn't been affected as well.

Luffy just looked down, trying to make his breathing regular once more. He wanted to remember, but it was like he always was met by a wall in his mind, a wall he couldn't break through.

"It'll be alright," Sanji smiled, wiping away the tear running down his cheek. "We'll always be here. We'll never leave you."

Luffy smiled, sniffing, nodding. Of course. Sanji and Zoro was his everything. They didn't care that Luffy wasn't worth anything, didn't care that he was nothing more than a thing. They would never leave him.

Opening his arms, capturing Sanji in a big embrace, letting his arms stretch long enough to hug him completely. He'd forgotten how nice it was to be able to stretch. He'd really missed this.

"So this is your Devil Fruit, huh," Zoro marveled, pulling Luffy's cheek, staring as it stretched. "Neat," he smirked.

Luffy smiled up at him.

"I know right!"

Zoro let go of his cheek, it snapping back into place, surprising Luffy. Sanji laughed at Luffy's startled expression, before he took hold of the covers, drawing them over the three of them.

"I think one fast nap won't hurt, right?", he smiled, laying down at Luffy's side, still in Luffy's embrace.

Luffy pouted, but was interrupted by a yawn. Seems like that energy from before was gone. Making sure that Zoro and Sanji were huddled up close to him, he closed his eyes, letting sleep take over.

* * *

...

Morning had just arrived on the Island of Goa. The fishermen were preparing their boats for a long day of work, the bakers were opening their doors, and a few early birds were already walking around the market place.

However, on one side of the Island, in a small clearing, three boys were wide awake.

"Oi, Lu, could you let me go? We'll meet out on the sea soon, I promise!", The next oldest boy, Sabo insisted, trying to stop the thirteen year old called Luffy from crushing his inner intestines. Luffy just smiled, hugging his brother closer.

"Nope!", he laughed. "Sabo should stay here until he's seventeen. Not before, not after!" Luffy didn't want Sabo to leave so soon. He had been prepared for Ace leaving, but not Sabo too!

"Lu, let go of him. We've talked about this, he needs to leave earlier than our promise," The oldest boy, called Ace, yelled from the dinghy where he was stacking the provisions that he and Sabo might need for the start of their journey. Or, let's not fool themselves, would need.

Luffy huffed, letting go of his brother. He knew that Sabo needed to leave earlier, but that didn't mean he liked it. Really, couldn't they just beat the shit out of this Outlook guy? He had been confused at first, after all, Sabo had told them after the Fire that the nobles wouldn't be going after them anymore, so why wasn't that the case now?

Right, something about some guards seeing Sabo and recognizing him. Or had it been a noble? Luffy wasn't sure, he'd fallen asleep before Sabo had finished the story.

"Why can't I go with Ace and Sabo now?", Luffy asked, jumping over to Ace, giving him the puppy dog eyes of doom. Just as Ace was about to crack, Sabo hit Luffy over the head.

"You're too young, darling," Sabo answered, as Luffy petted the bump forming on his head. "You can't even punch straight!"

Luffy gave an exaggerated gasp, holding a hand over his chest, glaring up at his blond brother.

"Sabo, that only happened, like, one time!"

"More like one hundred," Ace muttered under his breath. Luffy spun around, now facing his oldest brother, puffing out his cheeks in defence.

"Ace!", he whined, pouting at his brother, making Ace laugh.

"Gods, Lu. You're adorable!" he grinned, pinching his little brother's cheek. Luffy shooed him away.

Free from his brother's grip, Luffy opened his mouth to protest, because he was in no sense adorable, but was cut off by something being pushed onto his head. Looking up, he was met by the sight of yellow straw. The pout was replaced by a wide grin.

"Hat!", he smiled, pushing it down further on his head, letting out tons of very manly giggles.

Sabo shook his head at his brother's behavior, hugging the boy close one last time.

"Take care of yourself, Lu'," he whispered, before he jumped into the dinghy with Ace, a big pack of food on his back.

"We'll see you on the grand line, Lu!", Ace yelled as the boat started to depart. Sabo opened his mouth as well, but was cut off when the bushes on the outline of the clearing started to shake.

For a fear filled second, Luffy thought that it was the guards from Goa that had come to take Sabo away again, but that theory was quickly debunked when a group of bandits and two of Foosha village residents entered the small clearing.

"They haven't set sail yet!", Dogra yelled, being the first to enter the clearing. "Hurry!"

"Wait, boys!" Makino chimed in. "I've got some bread for you to have on your journey!"

"Oi, you damn brats. How dare you just leave without saying a fucking word!" Dadan raged, even though Luffy could see tears running down her cheeks.

"Don't you have any manners?! Didn't even notify us," Mayor scolded, even though he was smiling.

Ace and Sabo looked astonished at the people entering the clearing. They didn't think anyone, except Luffy of course, would even notice that they were gone. For once, they were happy that they had been wrong.

"Sorry, guys," Sabo grinned, pushing out their little dinghy out on the sea. "But we'll take our leave now! Thank you for everything!"

"Look for us in the newspapers!" Ace beamed, waving at everyone. "We'll make it big, I promise!"

And soon the dinghy reached the horizon. Makino gave Luffy a side hug, tucking one of his bangs around his ear.

"Guess it's just us now, huh?" She gently smiled down at the boy. Luffy sighed, looking out on the sea, seeing the ship finally crossing the horizon. The revolution that he actually would be without his brothers, for the first time in nearly seven years, wasn't a happy one.

"Yeah…", he mumbled. A sharp pain from his leg made him break out of his daze. "Oi, what was that for, Mayor!"

"Don't space out like that, kid," the old man scolded, waving his cane threateningly at Luffy, making the boy flinch away. The old man shook his head, before his gaze went out onto the sea. His eyes softened. "Don't worry, my boy. These three years will come and go before you know it. And really, what's the worst that can happen?"

Luffy smiled down at the old man, before he looked around the clearing at all the people that he considered his family. All of them were smiling at him, even Dadan! A warm feeling wrapped around his heart. Yeah, Mayor was right! Everything would be alright. After all,

What Was The Worst That Could Happen?

2 Years Ago

Goa Kingdom


	7. Chapter 7: The Beginning Of Names

_**2 Years And 3 Months Ago**_

 _ **Goa Kingdom**_

"Oh, come on Luffy. It's not that bad! You still got me and Mayor," Makino giggled at the somber 13 year old, only receiving a _hmph_ from the boy.

He'd been like this the whole day. Makino had tried giving him some juice to lighten up his mood, but in vain. Luffy sighed once more, stroking a hand over his Straw Hat that was placed beside him on the counter.

The boy had been like this ever since his two big brothers had started on their journey 4 months ago. It was to be expected, of course. Luffy and his big brothers had always been close ever since they were young, the three nearly inseparable. It must be weird to adjust, and it had only been two months since their departure, so she could let it slide. Mayor, however, had other plans.

He huffed at the gloomy teen, before he hit his walking stick on Luffy's leg, earning a yelp from the boy.

"What was that for Mayor!", he yelped, hugging his leg, blowing on it.

"Your gloomy atmosphere is scaring away customers, and I don't think miss Makino would be grateful for that," Mayor explained. "So snap out of it, boy!"

Luffy simply sighed once more, and Makino, sensing that the boy was going back to his depressed state, acted quickly.

"What would your brothers think if they saw you. If you continue like this, you'll never be able to beat them," Makino hid her small smile behind her hand as she saw Luffy jolt, sitting up straighter. A look of realization lightened up his face.

"You're right! I need to go train, now!", Luffy exclaimed, before he noticed the glass of juice he'd barely drinked from. " _After_ I'm done with this."

But, just as Luffy had taken hold of the glass, the doors to the bar slammed open, revealing a small white dog, or at least, a dog that had once been white, but was now covered in red blood.

"Pochi!", Luffy gasped, jumping off of his seat, before crouching down beside the dog.

The dog was panting, and had a few cuts that were bleeding heavily. The dog had something in his mouth, which he spat out into Luffy's hands. It was a yellow scarf, splattered with blood.

"This-this is Magras," Luffy stammered, looking at it in horror. The whole bar was in outrage, everyone frightened by the bloody dog, but Makino heard him.

"Something must have happened," Makino fretted, walking towards the dog, catching the small animal just as he collapsed.

"I need to go and see what's going on!", Luffy exclaimed, before picking himself up, starting to run towards the door. "I'll be back soon, Makino-san, Mayor-san!", he yelled over his shoulder, before he exited the bar, and started to sprint into the forest. He ignored the cries after him.

"Luffy!", Makino yelled. "You forgot your hat!"

* * *

Luffy ran through the forest, feeling the small burn in his legs and chest. Wow, Makino was right, he _was_ weaker! He was running towards the Bandit Den, and it had never felt further away. What had happened? Why was Pochi _bloody_? He didn't want to think about it.

A scream broke him away from his thoughts, and suddenly he couldn't feel the burn in his legs and chest anymore. He jumped over a boulder, ducking under a fallen tree, pushing himself to go faster, _faster_ , _**faster**_. He didn't even notice that the whole forest seemed destroyed, with trees that had been cut down, and bushes that had been torn apart and walked on.

Luffy took a sharp turn, jumping over another fallen tree, before he entered the small clearing around the den. He stopped in his tracks.

The whole clearing was filled with bodies, bleeding bodies, the bleeding bodies of bandits. A shocked sob escaped Luffy, before he ran forwards, starting to shake one of the bandits. He wasn't breathing. Luffy, left him, crouching down beside another. And another, _another_ , _**another**_. Why weren't they _breathing_!

Tears were running down his cheeks, as he desperately tried to find someone, _anyone_ , that was _breathing_. He crouched down beside Magra's body, and with shaking hands checked the man's chest. Was he breathi-

"L-Luf-fy…," Magra breathed, and the relief that Luffy felt at that moment could rival with the force of a storm in the new world.

"Shh, Magra. Everything's okay," Luffy sniffed, trying to stop his crying as he tried to stop the bleeding of the wound on Magras side. But, before he could do anything, Magra took hold of his arm.

"L-Luffy, ya… ya need t-to go… now," he stuttered, panic evident in his eyes.

"What are you talking about, you're dying!"

"I-if you don't leave, they… they'll find y-ya," Magra stuttered, tears starting to run down his cheeks.

"I can't just leave you!", Luffy screamed, sobs once again starting to rack his body.

"I-it's fi-fine… This, this is enough…," Magra smiled up at Luffy from his tears, tightening his grip on Luffy's arm. "Just… just tell Dadan… and Ace… Sabo… goodbye from… me?"

Luffy could see how the light escaped the man's eyes, and even though he didn't want to except it, he knew that there was nothing he could do.

"Yes, I-I will, Magra," Luffy sobbed, hugging the man that had, his whole childhood, treated his wounds and kissed his boo boo's, in a tight hug. "I-I don't l-like bandits, but, but you guys are alright, okay?" Luffy whispered to the man.

But, Magra didn't answer.

The only thing that could be heard in the clearing was the sobs of a small teenage boy, even when men in white uniforms entered the clearing and walked towards the young child.

It became completely quiet as one of them knocked the child out with a hard kick to the back of his head.

* * *

"My God, is he dead? He's dead, isn't he. What am I going to do! Please wake up, please, _please_ , _pleas-_ "

Luffy grumbled, cutting the voice off. His head was hurting a lot, and his mouth felt incredibly dry. He was also cold, probably from the cold, hard floor that he was laying on. He opened his eyes, and was met by a badly lit cell and a young boy. The boy was crying.

" _Where-_ ", Luffy started to cough, interrupting his own sentence. His throat was too dry for him to speak, it seemed.

The other boy's eyes widened behind his cracked glasses, and he stuttered something Luffy hadn't been able to catch, before he turned around and retrieved a pouch. He opened it, before he gave it to the still coughing Luffy, letting him drink from it. After a few sips, Luffy's throat seemed satisfied. The other boy took the pouch from him, putting it back from where he'd taken it.

"Are, are you f-feeling b-better n-now?", the boy stuttered worriedly. Luffy nodded, giving the younger boy a small smile.

"Thank you…"

"C-Coby! I-I'm Coby, n-nice meeting you…?"

"The name's Luffy," Luffy greeted, trying not to laugh at the stuttering boy. He seemed very young, maybe 11 years old, and Makino had taught him to be nice to the younger kids.

Luffy looked away from the scared boy, looking around the small cell. He stood up, ignoring Coby's worried protests, and walked to one of the bars. He took hold of it, about to bend it open, when suddenly his whole body felt completely drained. He fell to the floor, gasping for breath. It had felt like falling into the sea.

"What the-?"

"Luffy! Are you alright! Oh, please don't die!", Coby begged, checking Luffy for any injuries. Luffy ignored him.

He once more looked around, only now looking outside of the cell. They were in a room with at least twenty other cells, all filled with people. Luffy had expected them to be glaring in their direction, but no one did. Everyone was sitting stock still, and looked like they were dead. Some probably were.

"Coby, where are we?", he asked, turning around, gazing at the other boy, cutting the other off.

"You, you don't know…?", Coby stammered, knew fear entering his expression. Luffy shook his head. "We… we're on a-" Coby broke down crying before he could finish the sentence.

"Eh, Coby. I don't understand what you're saying," Luffy muttered.

"... We're on a slave ship," Coby's whisper was forced out through his sobs. Luffy flinched back, his eyes widening.

"What are you _talking_ about! That's _impossible_! I was just home and-"

And, and what? It was blank. He couldn't remember. The last thing he remembered was sitting in Makino's bar sulking, and after that everything was, was just, blank. He tried to remember, but no matter how hard he tried, _nothing_. It was like a part of his memory was gone. Was this what Sabo had had when they were young?

"I-I'm s-sorry, I-I just can't s-stop crying," Coby sobbed, cutting Luffy off from his thoughts. The boy was shaking with sobs, snot running down his nose, tears clouding his glasses.

Luffy raised his hand, before hitting Coby hard in the head, breaking the boy from his crying.

"W-why did you do that!", He exclaimed.

"'Cause I felt like it," Luffy shrugged. "Plus, it stopped your crying, so, two stones in one bird."

"It's t-two birds in one stone, L-Luffy-san."

"Same thing," Luffy grinned at the pink haired boy, earning a shocked expression from the boy.

"How can you do that?", Coby mumbled. Luffy cocked his head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"You're- you're _smiling_! I just told you that we're on a _slave ship_ , we're going to be _sold_! Our lives are _over_!", Coby yelled, seemingly forgetting to stutter for a few moments. Luffy just smiled.

"Nope, they aren't," Luffy told the shocked boy. "I'll escape, and then I'll train, and then I'll set sail for the Grand Line!"

Coby's eyes widened, more shock entered his features.

"Grand Line, why would you ever want to go there?!"

"To become the Pirate King, of course!"

Everything became quiet for a few seconds. Coby's mouth was touching the floor, his eyes wide, before he broke out of his daze.

"But, but to become the Pirate King, you, you would have to stand on top of the Great Pirate Era, to find the _One Piece!_ "

"Yup."

"Impossible! It's impossible, you'll die! It's completely impossible. Impossible, _impossible_ , _**impossible-**_ "

Coby was once again hit on the head, cutting him off. He looked up, and shrieked when he saw Luffy glare at him.

"I don't _care_. Becoming the Pirate King is my _dream_ , and if I die trying to reach that dream, well, then I'll die!"

Once again their cell became quiet. Coby was staring up at Luffy with a look you would give a loon combined with the look you would give if you saw a miracle. Suddenly, Coby felt how something inside of him changed.

"I've always wanted to become a Marine," Coby confessed, looking down in his lap, twiddling with his trousers, before he once more looked up at Luffy. "Do you think I could?"

"How should I know?"

But Coby didn't seem to hear him, as he was filled with determination.

"No, I _will_ become a Marine! And I'll catch bad guys and make this world a better place!", the eleven year old exclaimed.

"Well then, Coby, I guess that the next time we meet, we'll be enemies-" Coby opened his mouth to object, but Luffy raised a hand and silenced him. "-and I'm looking forwards to fight you on the Grand Line. But, be sure to be strong, got that?"

Coby's cheeks hurt from how big he was smiling.

"Yes, Luffy-san!"

"And, another thing. Have you seen my hat?"

* * *

The next three months went by quite fast. Luffy found that Coby, under the layer of cowardice, actually was a funny boy. He always made jokes and tried to make Luffy smile, and in return, Luffy did the same. They also talked about their dreams. Coby's simple dream of joining the Marines, snowballed into becoming him wanting to become the Fleet Admiral. He would tell Luffy all about the things that he would change and create, and Luffy listened carefully.

After coming over the panic of not having his hat anymore, deciding that he must have left it at the Party Bar before his memory became blank, he'd told Coby about everything he would do when he became a pirate. _Obviously_ , the first crew mate he would recruit was a musician, because _every_ crew needed a good musician, and maybe after that a skilled cook, and then they would travel the seas, going from adventure to adventure.

But, they didn't only talk about. They had also created a plan of escape. They knew that they couldn't escape the _cell_ , as Luffy was unable to touch the cell's bars without losing his strength, and Coby was too weak to bend the bars. So, they would have to escape when they were to be transported to the Auction House. Luffy would cause a distraction, and when everybody was distracted they would make a break for it. It may not be a foolproof plan, but it was the best they could come up with.

And soon, the day of the Auction came.

Coby was shaking as the guards came into the room, and started to unlock the cells. They forced the people out of their cells, and pulled out the people that had bitten their tongues off. When the guard opened their cell, Luffy and Coby went willingly, without any protests. If they didn't, the guards would keep an extra eye on them, and they had only one shot at this.

They were transported out of the ship, and were temporarily blinded by the sun that they hadn't seen for three months. When their sight came back, they were met with an island made out of trees and bubbels. Luffy marveled, having stars in his eyes as they were transported around the island. Coby had had to hold his friend back numerous of times. The guards hadn't noticed, as the two boys were in the middle of the group of the prisoners.

When they saw the Auction House, they let their plan go into motion. Luffy let out a high pitched scream and pushed all of the prisoners that were around him. The rest of the prisoners started to panic as well, and the guards, caught off guard by their screaming, wasn't able to react as fast as they should have, and when they started to take down the scared prisoners, they had already gone from mildly spooked, too hysteria.

Luffy took hold of Coby's hand as they navigated through the panicked group, making sure to dodge any guard that were in their way, and soon they were in the outer circle of the group. And then, they ran.

At that moment they had been completely free. There had been nothing to hold them back. And then, that moment had passed.

Coby gasped when he fell to the ground, which alerted Luffy. He'd been a few steps ahead of Coby, and hadn't noticed when the boy had tripped. He turned around, seeing his fallen friend, and, in the background, five guards running towards them.

Before he could think, he'd crouched down beside Coby, helping him up. He noticed a bleeding cut, gushing blood down the young boy's leg. He wouldn't be able to run like that, and the guards were soon on them. He looked into the terrified eyes of his frie- no, his _Nakama_ , and made his decision.

"Coby, run to the nearest Marine base, and tell them to call _Garp "The Fist"_ , and if they don't, give them this," Luffy took of the necklace Garp had given him as his birthday present. It was a Marine emblem with the signature of the Fleet Admiral himself. "When you speak to Garp, tell him that _Monkey D. Luffy_ sent you and that I believe you can take _my_ _place_ in the Marines, alright?"

"I-I can't just _leave_ you here!", Coby cried, tears starting to run down his cheeks.

"I'll meet you there, alright?" Luffy knew Coby thought he meant the Marine Base, but Luffy meant something else. Something the two had discussed the first time they had met. He turned towards the guards running towards them. "I'll hold these guys off, so don't worry. Now, _run_ , Coby. _**Run**_!"

Luffy heard as the boy sobbed, before he heard him limp away. He took a deep breath, taking a battle stance, glaring at the guards in front of him.

"Let's do this shitheads."

* * *

When he came too, for a few seconds, Luffy thought he was still in his cell with Coby. The floor was cold, and it was dark, and for a few moments everything that had happened had just been a bad dream. But then, he remembered.

He'd fought, he'd actually been able to knock out three of the guards, but, more had come. Luffy may be strong, be he couldn't fight against a dozen guards with a starved and tired body. He'd fallen, and they had put _something_ on his wrist. It had been like touching the bars of his cell, only now he couldn't escape. He could still feel the bracelet cutting into his skin. It _hurt_.

He put his hands under his body, trying to sit up, but it was to no avail. He couldn't move. Guess he could lay where he was.

He looked around his surroundings, trying to see if he could see where he was. There was a small window, and if Luffy could move, maybe he'd been able to escape through it. But he couldn't, so.

Light came from outside the window, balty lighting up the box he was in. Because, that was what it was. A box. And he'd thought the cell had been claustrophobic.

Suddenly, the loud sound of trumpets was heard, breaking Luffy out of his thoughts. The small chatter that had been outside the box became quiet.

"My Lord," A shrill woman's voice broke the silence. "As my first birthday present for you, My Lord, I wanted to make it count. I know that you don't like replacing your staff, but I can promise you that I'll be _the_ _best_ trainer you've _ever_ had. And now, let me show you what I have for you."

Suddenly, light erupted into Luffy's sight, blinding him. He tried to cover his eyes, but his moves were sluggish at best. Someone took hold of his legs, pulling him out of the box. When he was free, they took hold of his arms, dragging him forwards.

"Let go of me, ya damn bastards, or you'll fucking regret it!", Someone threatened, the voice coming from Luffy's left side, and Luffy couldn't really had said it better himself.

"Oi, what the hell is this!?", Another voice roared at Luffy's other side. He tried to see who it was, but his vision was still blurry, but he did distinguish something green.

"They're very fiesty," a man in front of them said, making Luffy turn his gaze forwards, staring up at a man. Luffy couldn't see any details.

"I wanted to show you that I'm a good trainer, Your Wholeness, so I made sure to take the most problematic ones. Plus, I've heard you like it when they break," that same woman's voice stated.

"What a _beautiful_ maiden~," the voice coming from Luffy's left exclaimed. Luffy turned his gaze to the left, and was actually able to see a few details, like that the other boy's eyebrows were, swirly? Alright, maybe Luffy's sight hadn't come back _entirely_ yet.

The woman ignored the gushing teen, instead bowing low to the guy in front of them.

"Bring them forwards," the man ordered, and Luffy saw two guards come forwards, taking hold of his arms dragging him forwards with the two other boys.

Luffy could now see the man clearly, and Luffy wished that his sight hadn't come back to him. The noble was sweating heavily, drool running down his chin, his hair heavily waxed back and he was incredibly obese. Luffy usually don't judge people by appearance, but this guy looks way too much like the rich people in Goa for Luffy not to.

"Bring the green haired one forwards," the man ordered. Luffy turned his gaze to his right, and looked as the green haired boy was pulled forwards. He was growling and snarling, seemingly trying to bite off the guard's hands.

"Hmm, quite wild, almost like an animal. And it's not much to look at, if not for its green hair. I think I shall call it… _**Beast**_."

The whole room erupted with applause and cheers, but Beast spluttered, before clear rage overtook his features.

"My name is not fucking Beast! It's-"

"Not anymore," the woman interrupted. "You are _**Beast**_ , God has spoken. Bring it away."

Luffy looked on as the green haired was dragged out of the room, and _why_ hasn't Luffy noticed that they were in a _ballroom_?

"Bring the blonde one forwards," the mans booming voice cut Luffy from his thoughts.

Swirly eyebrows also put up a fight, but stopped the second the woman told him off, starting to give her compliments instead. He was weird.

"What a lust filled creature, and it is beautiful, but it does have a foul tongue," the man muttered to himself.

"What the fuck did you just say, you-"

"Shut it!"

"Yes, my splendid mistress! ~"

… What was _wrong_ with this guy? He was flipping between emotions faster than Ace eats his lunch!

"Yes, that would work!", The man exclaimed. "A foul, lust filled creature, hiding underneath a beautiful body. Its name shall be _**Demon**_!"

Once again, applause and cheers erupted in the ballroom. The blonde boy opened his mouth to protest, but stopped when he saw the woman clapping. He didn't fight back when he was dragged out of the room.

"Bring the last one to me," the man ordered, and once more, Luffy was dragged forwards. One of the guards took hold of his hair, pulling his head backwards, showing the man his face. "Why isn't it moving?", the man nagged, looking at the woman.

"It's a devil fruit user, Your Splendidness. It's wearing sea stone," she explained.

He bent forwards, looking at Luffy with interest. Before he made eye contact, and suddenly the whole atmosphere of the room change.

"Give it to me," the man ordered, earning a gasp from the ballroom.

"But, My Lord! You can't touch-"

"I _said_ , _**give it to me**_!", the man screamed, and before Luffy knew what was happening, he was seated in the lap of the man.

The man tilted Luffy's chin up, and he stared into his eyes, as he stroked his thumb over Luffy's scar. His other hand started to pet Luffy's lower back, and lower, before he gripped Luffy's behind. If Luffy had had the energy to move, he would have flinched away, and then probably punched this man in the face. _Hard_.

"Absolutely beautiful," the man sighed, a small smile spreading over his lips. His eyes looked _hungry_ , but for what, Luffy didn't know. Luffy's eyes widened when he felt something hard push against his thigh. Why was this man's _thing-_

"I've never seen such a fine specimen," the man murmured. "Such _hope_ , such _innocence_. And it's completely _mine_." The way the man said it made Luffy want to shiver in disgust.

"My Lord, I don't think-"

" _Silence_ trash!", the man snapped. "Don't you see I'm admiring this Ang- Yes, that's _it_!" The man's gaze returned to Luffy, his crazed smile becoming bigger. "Your name will be _**Angel**_."

Luffy wanted to scream, to cry, to do _anything_ , but he could only stare up in horror. He wanted to go home _now_ , he wanted Dadan to yell at him, wanted Makino to hug him, wanted Mayor to hit him, wanted Ace to sing to him, wanted Sabo to read to him, wanted Garp to hit him with one of his fists of love. He wanted _anything_ but this.

"Bring it away," the man ordered, even though he seemed hesitant when he let Luffy go. "Put it with my other toys."

And as Luffy was dragged away, trying to ignore the _disgusting_ feeling running through him, he heard it.

"Make sure that you break _**Angel**_ , woman. I want to keep it for a long time."

Anger coursed through Luffy. No, they would _never_ be able to _break_ him. He was strong! He was going to be the next Pirate King! And _nothing_ they did could change that.

...

Right?


End file.
